For all this offseason put him through, Justin Fields is one of nine quarterbacks who are 2-0 this season. Nominally the backup, he has navigated the Pittsburgh Steelers to two victories through a constant cloud of doubt. It may be that most of all that is impressing his teammates.
“I think [Justin Fields has] handled it well”, Steelers ILB Patrick Queen said, via the team’s website. “Especially with the position he’s been put in and how the media tries to treat him and all the other different stuff. I couldn’t be more proud of him”.
The 11th-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Justin Fields posted a 10-28 record over three years in Chicago. At no point in his Bears career was he ever two games over .500, as the starter or otherwise. This is new territory, and he is trying to make the most of it—while not thinking too much.
While all the problems in Chicago may not have been his fault, Justin Fields nevertheless toted a lot of baggage entering this offseason. The Bears obviously ended up trading him to the Steelers but not before his trade value plummeted. Some thought early that he may fetch at least a first- or second-round pick. The Bears ended up trading him for a sixth-round pick in 2025, which may end up costing them a fourth.
While Fields is playing poised, the Steelers are not exactly lighting up the scoreboard. They have produced 31 points through two games with just one touchdown. Fields did have a second touchdown pass on Sunday negated by a questionable penalty, but that is a four-point swing. Still, as long as he isn’t putting the defense at a disadvantage, they will take care of him.
“I told [Justin Fields], ‘Any points you give, three, seven, whatever it is, it’s our job to go out there and get a stop and get the ball back to you’”, Queen said. “If he gives us only three points, we’ve got to hold the [other] team to zero”.
Queen also said that he has been a fan of Fields from afar. “I always wanted him to be that guy”, he added, referring to his time in Chicago, not suggesting he rooted for Fields to beat out Russell Wilson in the Steelers’ quarterback competition.
Speaking over the Steelers’ quarterback competition, that is exactly what Queen is talking about. Both local and national media fed Russell Wilson versus Justin Fields for months on end. Plenty of unflattering things crossed the lips of paid commentators, whether they had any expertise or not. Arguably, Fields has been under more scrutiny since his trade to the Steelers than he was in Chicago.
And that’s partly because everybody viewed the Bears organization as a dumpster fire. Now Justin Fields is in a highly respected organization in the Pittsburgh Steelers, where the expectation is winning. If he doesn’t win here, then it will be his fault. When he didn’t win in Chicago, people at least asked the question of where the blame ought to lie.
As the nominal backup, Fields is playing with house money at this point, but he can cash in big. He figures to be in line for at least one more start until Russell Wilson can even be in the conversation from a health perspective. Will there even be a discussion by then? Perhaps not if Fields’ play silences it.
