Justin Fields has gotten most of the work as the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers with Russell Wilson injured. He’s making the most of those opportunities, flashing the incredible potential he has. However, there are still things he needs to work on, and it seems like the Steelers’ defense is helping him work out some of those issues.
Speaking recently on Inside Training Camp Live on NFL Network, Fields was asked how the defense has been making him better.
“Let’s just say I’ve gotten the most balls batted down that I’ve ever gotten in a training camp,” Fields said. “T.J. [Watt] and Cam [Heyward], they’re a couple of the best to do it in the league. I remember playing the Steelers my rookie year and Cam actually picked me off. It’s definitely making us better, making me better in terms of finding throwing lanes to throw.”
Fields has had a fair amount of his passes batted down throughout training camp so far, which makes sense. Heyward is one of the best players in the league at batting down passes at the line of scrimmage, and Watt’s ball skills are well-known throughout the league. They’re some of the best players Fields has ever practiced against, and facing them should prepare him for anyone else.
That pass that Heyward intercepted against Fields came in Week 9 of the 2021 season, a 29-27 win for the Steelers. It seems that’s a play that’s stuck in Fields’ mind. Hopefully getting to see more of Heyward will help to work that issue out of him. That’s actually only the second interception of Heyward’s career, and he hasn’t had one since then.
It seems that Wilson will be returning sooner rather than later, so Fields will more than likely begin the season as the backup quarterback. That should give him ample opportunity to iron out some of the issues he still has in his game. His time with the Chicago Bears was full of turmoil, and having some stability in Pittsburgh should be good for his career.
With Wilson around to mentor him, Fields is in a good place to succeed. He has massive potential, which can be seen in some of the big throws he makes, but he still needs to refine his game. Hopefully, he’ll be allowed to sit behind Wilson, and if the Steelers need him to start, he will have eliminated some of the mistakes that he makes. Practicing against the Steelers’ defense seems to be good for Fields’ development, though.
