Justin Fields isn’t the first superior athlete at quarterback the Steelers have ever had. After all, they had Kordell Stewart, the great “Slash” player, and even Mike Vick for a short time. You can add Dennis Dixon and Joshua Dobbs to that list, and the Steelers found uses for their abilities.
That role extends into practice, which is ideal for the Steelers now because Fields is good preparation for today’s NFL. While mobile quarterbacks aren’t quite the norm, they are now quite common, and the Steelers see them quite frequently. That’s why defenders are talking about the benefits of practicing against him now to prepare for AFC North opponents.
“He’s someone I feel like, going against a guy like that, he prepares us for what we see in our division”, Alex Highsmith said of Justin Fields on the NFL Network on Saturday. “With guys like Lamar [Jackson], Deshaun [Watson], and Joe Burrow, all those guys can run. QB mobility’s a factor in games that we play, so practicing against a guy like him is gonna make us better as a whole, as a defense”.
Lamar Jackson is arguably the greatest running quarterback in NFL history, with multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons. As Mike Tomlin knows, Fields is also up there in today’s game. While the Steelers are familiar with his game, practicing regularly against Fields will only help. Deshaun Watson isn’t in quite that same category, but both he and Joe Burrow can move as well.
Even rookie ILB Payton Wilson appreciates the practical value of practicing against Justin Fields for AFC North play. Either way, it’s good practice for him to get used to that type of quarterback in the NFL, which took him some adjustment at first.
“It’s actually pretty crazy to see. I’ve always known Justin was fast, but as fast as he is, it’s kind of shocking a little bit”, he said of Fields via the team’s website. “It’s awesome because obviously, the people we’re gonna play this year, we’re gonna have a lot of mobile quarterbacks. It’s really good to go up against that every single day. It adds another aspect to it. You can’t just sit back in coverage and let the d-line eat”.
Of course, the Steelers didn’t trade for Justin Fields just to chase after him in practice. They also want to develop him as a quarterback, potentially a future starter. He has improved so far throughout training camp, Arthur Smith recently praising his command of the offense.
Ultimately, the Steelers just want Fields to be himself, as long as he isn’t hurting himself. The Chicago Bears didn’t always do their best to keep him out of his own way, but the Steelers seem to have a vision for Fields. They better make an impression now, though, if they want to keep him. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
