With veteran quarterback Russell Wilson on the shelf early on in training camp and only recently returning in a limited fashion to practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, fourth-year quarterback Justin Fields has taken advantage of the opportunities as the QB1 for the Steelers.
So much so, that Fields has generated quite a bit of buzz early in training camp. Fields has had the opportunity to show off his arm and his legs for the Steelers while seeing QB1 reps. He’s had some flashes, and he’s had some struggles.
For many, he’s been, well, Justin Fields, the one that is well-known at this point in the NFL. Some tantalizing highs, frustrating lows and a lack of consistency overall.
The Pittsburgh’s Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac believes that regardless of Fields’ showing so far, Wilson will be the starting quarterback Week 1 on the road in Atlanta. However, Dulac did state during his appearance on The Rich Eisen Show Friday on The Roku Channel that Fields has opened some eyes for the Steelers sooner than anticipated.
“I don’t think there’s any question, unless Russell Wilson would somehow be injured,” Dulac said when asked by Eisen if Wilson is still the starter, according to video via the Roku Channel. “But like I said, I think what we’ve seen, what they’ve seen from Justin Fields has maybe piqued their curiosity a little bit more than maybe they thought it would’ve at this point in time.”
Dulac’s comments regarding Fields and the curiosity piqued for the Steelers early in training camp falls in line with some of the reporting that has come out of Steelers’ Training Camp in the first full week of practices with Fields getting nearly all of the QB1 reps for the Steelers as head coach Mike Tomlin is purposely “slowing down the progress” of Wilson in his return from injury to be cautious.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter stated earlier in the week that Fields had opened some eyes for the Steelers with his showing in training camp. He should be, considering the Steelers haven’t had a quarterback with his skillsets in the Tomlin era.
Fields is truly a dynamic weapon. He can make all of the throws and can turn bad plays into good ones with his legs. After all, he has a 1,000-yard rushing season under his belt already.
But, in those flashes, there have been frustrations, too. He’s made some great plays, but then missed the routine ones. That’s who he has been to this point in his career, so it’s not all that much of a surprise.
He’s put together some solid showings in recent days though as the offense won Seven Shots Tuesday and Wednesday before losing on Thursday. However, he closed practice strong with a dart to wide receiver George Pickens to cap off a two-minute drill, showing off his arm and ball placement in the process to beat new linebacker Patrick Queen for the score.
Fields is flashing and has performed relatively well with the pads on. But he has to keep stacking days and forcing himself into the discussion, potentially putting the Steelers in an uncomfortable position.
