He wasn’t supposed to be the starting quarterback this season, at least this early, for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but fourth-year quarterback Justin Fields answered the door when opportunity knocked.
With starting quarterback Russell Wilson going down with a calf injury again just two days before the start of the season, Fields stepped into the starting role and hasn’t looked back.
The Steelers sit at 3-1 and Fields is coming off of two very good performances offensively against the Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts. Though the Steelers split those games, Fields continues to grow and take real strides overall for the Steelers under first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
According to ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano, who appeared on “Get Up” Friday morning, the Steelers are feeling “extremely pleased” with Fields’ performance to date, and are happy with the growth he’s shown week over week.
“The Steelers are extremely pleased with Justin Fields and the way he has improved week over week,” Graziano said of the Steelers and Fields, according to video via ESPN. “He wasn’t supposed to be the starter until two days before the season. And so they give him something scaled down that first week in Atlanta. He executes it. They give him a little more. The players, the coaches I’ve talked to, they use the word confidence.
“They say he brought a confidence to the huddle right away. That really caught everyone’s attention, and then it’s just grown a week over week.”
The Steelers should be extremely pleased with Fields so far. He’s largely avoiding the killer mistakes, having cut down drastically on his turnover issues from his time in Chicago. He has just two turnovers in four games, with an interception in Week 3 and a fumble in Week 4.
He’s also hitting big plays down the field in the passing game, particularly to wide receiver George Pickens and is making sound decisions overall in the passing game, looking very confident and comfortable within Smith’s scheme.
Fields has added a different dimension to the offense, too, with his legs, primarily in the red zone. He’s a dynamic weapon and he continues to show that, even if the reins are pulled back on him just a bit.
But as Graziano stated, the Steelers are very happy with his performance so far, and players are seeing confidence in Fields. That’s a big thing for any player. Yes, he might have Wilson getting healthy and lurking behind him, potentially getting ready to step into the lineup once again. But that’s not shaking Fields’ confidence.
He’s focused on doing what he’s done so far this season and not worrying about things he can’t control. There’s a confidence in that, in himself and his abilities. We’ll see if it continues, but right now the Steelers are “extremely pleased” with the former Ohio State quarterback.
