After the Pittsburgh Steelers’ second preseason game, it seems like everyone only wants to talk about how poorly Russell Wilson played. At the very least, there’s more discourse around Wilson than Justin Fields. Fields looked better against the Buffalo Bills than he did in the Steelers’ first preseason game, but he wasn’t perfect. Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel did not seem impressed with Fields’ performance.
Daniel played in the NFL from 2009 to 2022 and now works as an analyst. On his YouTube channel, Daniel recently broke down Fields’ tape against the Bills.
“Played alright,” Daniel said. “Didn’t play great. Too many dumb mistakes, in my opinion.”
Daniel also didn’t like what he saw out of Fields in the game against the Houston Texans. However, it seems like this outing wasn’t as bad as that one. Fields really struggled to get out of his own way in the first game, with two fumbled snaps killing his momentum. Against the Bills, he managed to make a few more good plays. It was a step in the right direction.
Daniel may not have loved many of the decisions Fields made, but he was impressed with his athleticism.
“Russell Wilson’s just not able to bring that to the Steelers. I’m sorry about it, he’s just not,” Daniel said after reviewing a clip of Fields scrambling and creating a play when there was none.
That’s one of the most common points people bring up when arguing that Fields should be the starter. He may have some issues as a passer, but his skills as a runner are special. In Arthur Smith’s offense, that may be more valuable than what Wilson brings to the table. The Steelers’ offense is going to center around running the football, and there’s an argument that Fields helps them do that better.
However, that doesn’t mean Fields’ issues throwing the football should be ignored. He’s a young player who came into the league with an organization that had no direction. Maybe sitting on the bench for a season would be the best thing for him. Dumb mistakes may be forgivable in the preseason, but in the regular season, they’ll be the difference between winning and losing.
With one preseason game remaining, we’ll see if Fields can continue to improve. If he takes another step forward, maybe there will be a more serious conversation about him being the starter. If Daniel can see these issues, you can bet the Steelers are well aware of them. That’s the barrier between Fields and the starting job. If he doesn’t clean them up, then Wilson will more than likely begin the season as the Steelers’ starting quarterback.
