With Russell Wilson sitting out or being limited early in training camp, it’s been Justin Fields taking snaps with the starters, at least for now.
You’d like to get Wilson in there as soon as possible, as he is your likely week one starter. It’s always good to get a new quarterback as many reps as possible with the starting unit before the season starts.
However, there are some advantages to Justin Fields being the guy early in camp. One big one is that the defense gets to practice against a type of quarterback that is becoming more and more common in the league.
Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin talked about what challenges Fields can present his defense at practice via a transcript provided by the team.
“When he breaks the pocket, he is dangerous, and he can turn a bad play into a really good play, really fast,” Austin said. “It’s good for us because that means we have to be really sharp on our rush lanes and how we’re rushing the quarterback. It also means we have to be really sharp if we’re in our zones and we see him scramble in terms of coming out of coverage and corralling him. It does a lot, and it makes really good work for us because you know we’re going to run across quarterbacks who play like that.”
Despite all his flaws, Justin Fields has certainly shown the ability to make something out of nothing during his time in the NFL. While Wilson has that capability, too, he’s become more of a pocket passer as he’s gotten older, and even in his prime, he never had the game-breaking speed that Fields has right now.
This is especially important for a Pittsburgh Steelers team that is going to play two pretty important games against Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson each. They’ll also get a crack at Anthony Richardson and Jalen Hurts, two quarterbacks who rely on their legs as much as Fields does.
Practicing against someone who can provide that escapability is useful when you’re going to see a lot of mobile quarterbacks. Working against a guy like Fields, who has elite speed for the position, often will help the defense when it comes time to face someone like Jackson and Richardson during the season. They’re practicing against plays they’re going to see against mobile quarterbacks more often than they have in the past, and that’s going to be beneficial.
For Fields, it’s a trait that gives him a chance to play in certain packages, as it’s rare to have the type of speed he has. But seeing that level of athleticism this early will benefit the defense as well, which could be a blessing in disguise from Wilson’s injury.
