Justin Fields may be in his fourth season, but he is taking a red-shirt year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s what most people assume, of course, even if they ostensibly have a “quarterback competition” during training camp. Don’t count Craig Wolfley among those who believe that, though. In fact, he believes the presumed setup behind Russell Wilson is good for the young gun.
“I think Justin Fields can so benefit from being around Russell Wilson. This is exactly what he needs”, Wolfley said of Fields on the Irish Steelers podcast. “He needs a calming period where he can look at a guy … that’s already done it. He’s won a Super Bowl, he’s been in another Super Bowl, he’s a Pro Bowler. The guy is been there, done that, and shown how to get it done”.
Russell Wilson was once the young gun himself, but he actually won. As Wolfley mentioned, he went to two Super Bowls early in his career with the Seattle Seahawks, winning one. The two aren’t the exact same type of quarterback, but Justin Fields can learn a lot from him.
“For a young guy, sometimes you’ve got to reload a little bit. Sometimes you’ve got to sit back and go, ‘Okay, let me see what I can learn here’. It takes a little bit of humility”, Wolfley said about Fields. A starter early in his career, it won’t be easy to accept a backup role. But with a strong will and discipline, he can use it to his advantage.
“You look at the great attributes that Justin Fields brings. He’s got a cannon for an arm”, Wolfley said. “He’s got an ability to run, obviously. We know he’s a dual-threat quarterback. But he needs to refine his technique and he needs to have the ability to go through his progression and anticipate the routes a little bit more”.
These are the same critiques of his game that have persisted throughout his career. So far with the Steelers, Fields has only gone through spring practices closed to the public. But fans will get a good look at him in training camp, and in the preseason to a wider audience. Many will want to see what he looks like after leaving the Chicago Bears, I’m sure, for better or worse.
The 11th-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Justin Fields has a 10-28 record as a starter over three seasons. Yet he is still just 25 years old and has plenty to learn. That doesn’t mean that the Steelers will magically fix all the flaws in his game, mechanically and mentally, however.
But if he can revitalize his career, and he doesn’t start right away, he seems to have a pretty good setup in Pittsburgh. Fields will benefit from a veteran quarterback room, not just with Wilson but also Kyle Allen. Arthur Smith helped resurrect Ryan Tannehill’s career, and Tom Arth and Mike Sullivan know what they’re doing as well.
“I think this is a great opportunity to hit the reset button”, Wolfley said, for Fields. But what would a year on the bench look like for him? He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season, and he had a weak trade market this year. Some think the Steelers will get him onto the field one way or another, but for how much?
