Justin Fields flashes in Steelers' debut, offering optimism entering a new chapter (2024)

PITTSBURGH — The journey that Justin Fields hopes leads him towards redemption and a spot as a top-flight NFL starter progressed to its next leg, as the 2021 first-round draft pick got the starting nod for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their preseason opener against the Houston Texans on Friday night.

Fields — cast off this offseason by the Chicago Bears after three rocky seasons and now projected to back up Russell Wilson — played one quarter. The Steelers lost 20-12, but at this point of the NFL calendar, execution and signs of progress matter far more than final outcomes and records.

Fields got the start largely because he has taken the lion’s share of first-team snaps during training camp. Wilson — the 35-year-old veteran who coach Mike Tomlin has declared has “pole position” for the starting job — strained a calf during pre-training camp conditioning drills in late July and didn’t begin practicing fully until this week.

That opened the door for Fields to work with the starters and, above all else, gain more comfort with a new approach to NFL quarterbacking.

It’s hard to get excited over preseason Week 1 action and unwise to draw strong conclusions from the cameos players receive in August. But Fields largely delivered a solid performance for Pittsburgh.

He completed 5 of 6 passes for 67 yards and posted a passer rating of 113.2 through three series. He scrambled once for 2 yards, sustained two sacks, and he and center Nate Herbig botched two snaps for fumbles (which Pittsburgh recovered).

The fumbles, which occurred on each of the first two possessions, hampered the Steelers’ effectiveness, but Fields and the offense did exhibit promise on the third drive — an eight-play, 43-yard march into Texans territory.

“I thought he and we did some good things, but it was just dulled by some of the negativity,” Tomlin said of Fields, referring to the botched snaps and a couple of Steelers penalties. “But from a rhythm passing standpoint, distributing the ball to people, I thought (Fields) and (third-string quarterback) Kyle (Allen) did a nice job.”

Fields essentially echoed Tomlin, saying, “I felt like I was in a good rhythm. I think we’re moving the ball well. I think just those fumbled snaps and things like that killed a couple drives. But I think the overall rhythm of things, I was able to get the ball out fast and felt good overall.”

Justin Fields ➡️ Najee Harris for the first down!

📺: #HOUvsPIT on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/8P4GHzlveV

— NFL (@NFL) August 9, 2024

Given that Fields and the starters’ third possession represented their best, it’s reasonable to surmise they could have improved further given a fourth series. But it’s all a part of the process, and for this night, Fields had reason for optimism about the situation he now finds himself in.

There are stark contrasts between Fields’ life as a Steeler compared to life as a Bear, and circ*mstances seemingly have changed for the better for the still-developing, 25-year-old quarterback.

After three seasons with the Bears, Fields — who was 10-28 as a starter with 40 touchdown passes, 30 interceptions and a 82.3 passer rating — remained the subject of criticism. He struggled to consistently see what was unfolding in front of him, detractors said. At times, he was said to be late to recognize passing lanes or hesitant to pull the trigger (fearing making mistakes), missing opportunities to extend drives.

Faced with the option of extending Fields’ soon-expiring rookie contract or starting anew with 2024 draft crown jewel Caleb Williams, the Bears chose the latter, believing the generational prospect can at last end their decades of suffering.

The Bears’ decision to draft Williams might turn out to be a career-saving development for Fields.

Short of landing gently with a member of the Shanahan coaching tree or Andy Reid (all of whom already have their franchise quarterbacks), Fields probably couldn’t have asked for a better career reset in Pittsburgh — even with Wilson on the roster.

As was evident even in the snapshot of action Friday night, Fields now has a head coach and offensive coordinator (Arthur Smith) who believe the best way to help a quarterback with limitations is to support him with a strong rushing attack, keeping defenses off balance while providing more manageable down-and-distance situations.

“I feel like we all know Arthur is good at game planning to every player on offense’s strengths,” Fields said. “And as long as we’re playing to our strengths and everybody does well and we’re getting them the ball on certain concepts, certain routes, and of course, running the ball is always going to be a big part of who we are; as long as we do that and execute like we know how to execute, I think we will be great.”

No longer is Fields a part of a franchise asking him to be Michael Jordan without Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen and the triangle offense. Thus far, in Pittsburgh, Fields has been asked to simply run the point in Wilson’s absence while strengthening his understanding of the professional game. And once his time as a starter comes, he trusts that these coaches understand how to use him.

Wilson’s slow start to training camp has afforded Fields far more snaps to open training camp than he would have while running the second-team offense. That means more immersed learning. Friday night represented another chance to work with the starters and build on his ongoing re-education.

It was only one quarter, but Smith’s intention to avoid overtaxing the young quarterback was clear. Most of Fields’ pass attempts traveled no further than a few yards off of the line of scrimmage. The game plan: Get the ball in the hands of your playmakers quickly, and let them do the work. Executing that game plan, Fields looked comfortable. He looked confident. He looked decisive.

The Steelers’ most productive offensive possession of the first quarter featured four run plays — including three in a row — and four pass plays. The quarter as a whole consisted of eight run plays and nine pass plays. Balance is the name of the game.

Tomlin is adamant that although he’s pleased with Fields’ progress, Wilson remains in line to start. There are no tea leaves that suggest that Fields could somehow change the coaches’ minds and overtake Wilson for Week 1 QB1 duty. Strong play from Fields certainly could shorten the leash on Wilson. But Tomlin has not wavered.

The Steelers are playing the long game when it comes to Fields.

Although he, just like any competitor, would love to start, sitting for a spell to watch and learn — a chance he should have been afforded as a rookie — is probably the best thing for him. There’s no telling how long the Wilson experiment will last. Smith’s offensive philosophies could enable the former Super Bowl champ to recapture some of the magic from his days in Seattle. Or, Father Time very well could further strengthen his stranglehold on Wilson and force the Steelers to turn to Fields later this season.

But whether it’s four weeks or 12, Fields will benefit from the Steelers’ patient approach. Whether backup or starter, he’s now in better hands, and his prospects for reaching his potential are much brighter.

(Photo: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)

Mike Jones joined The Athletic as a national NFL writer in 2022 after five years at USA Today, where he covered the NFL, and eight years at The Washington Post, where he covered the Washington Commanders. He previously covered the Washington Wizards for The Washington Times. Mike is a native of Warrenton, Va.