When the Pittsburgh Steelers revamped their quarterback room this offseason by acquiring Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, the original plan was for Wilson to be the starter while Fields learned by watching. Wilson would be an immediate upgrade over Kenny Pickett, while Fields would have the opportunity to benefit from a much-needed reset after a dysfunctional start to his career in Chicago.
However, those plans were upended after Wilson suffered an injury during training camp that took longer than expected to heal. Fields took the starting job due to Wilson’s injury and hasn’t looked back. After playing arguably the best game of his young career against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3, Mike Tomlin shouldn’t even consider switching back to Wilson. Let’s take a closer look at Fields’ performance in the Black and Gold.
Justin Fields’ decision-making has improved
One of Fields’ biggest problems in Chicago was his poor decision-making ability. There were many times when he would make bad decisions that led to turnovers. He appears to prioritize ball security in Pittsburgh and is doing a much better job of taking what the defense gives him. He still takes some chances, but that’s a prerequisite to being a successful NFL quarterback. The challenge is to understand when to take risks and when to play it safe. Fields has done a much better job of that in the early going of this season.
It’s likely that Mike Tomlin has been making a concerted effort to protect the young quarterback from his own worst instincts, but that’s what should be done with young and developing signal callers. As Fields starts to show that he can be trusted to make the right decision more often than not, Tomlin will be able to open the playbook more and see what he can really do.
It’s not a bad thing that the team has chosen to simplify the playbook, either. Yes, Fields is in his fourth year. However, he spent the first three years under a completely dysfunctional regime in Chicago with limited coaching or support. The best way to help Fields grow is to act as if he’s a rookie. Fields deserves a team that will invest the effort and resources to help him grow and build him up as their own franchise quarterback.
Fields still uses his legs, but more sparingly and efficiently
He still uses his legs to make plays, but Fields is much more careful and calculated in when he does so, and he runs more sparingly than he used to. He’s also taking the next step in learning how to use his legs to augment his passing game, rather than relying solely on his rushing ability and forgetting that his primary job as a quarterback is to throw the ball.
What Fields has been showing during the last few weeks while starting for the Steelers is the ability to use his athleticism, agility, and mobility to move around in the pocket and break from the pocket, buying time for his receivers to get open down the field.
This makes him a much more dangerous weapon and increases the likelihood that the defense will compromise their integrity or positioning, allowing one of the Steelers' receivers to break away from the defender. That’s why the Kansas City Chiefs have so many receivers running wide-open down the field. Defenses game plan specifically around slowing down the passing game, which makes it seem even less likely for players to get wide open. That’s not the reality, though. The truth is that Patrick Mahomes’ mobility at the quarterback position and his ability to extend plays is what forces the defense to break down more often than not.
It’s similar to the effect that elite three-point shooters such as Steph Curry have in basketball. Curry's ability to shoot from anywhere creates a gravitational effect that stretches defenses beyond their breaking points, creating open looks for teammates or driving lanes that otherwise wouldn’t be there. It’s very similar in football. Mahomes’ ability to improvise and buy time, as well as his ability to throw from any arm angle and put the ball anywhere on the field, forces the defense to cover much more territory than they normally need to.
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It’s also widely understood that if an offense has unlimited time, receivers will eventually get open. That’s why the pass rush is just as important as coverage in the secondary. Most times, if a defensive back can stay with the receiver for five seconds, they’ve done their job. That doesn’t apply when you have a quarterback like Fields or Mahomes, and it’s what makes them so dangerous.
Steelers young QB can make big-time throws
Fields has made several plays where he demonstrated his ability to make big-time throws. In Week 2, he made arguably the best throw of his entire NFL career, although it didn’t count. He rolled out to the right and threw a 50-yard strike to Pickens on the run. There might be five total quarterbacks in the NFL who can make this throw, and Fields is one of them.
He has remarkable accuracy with his deep ball, and his laser that hit Calvin Austin III in stride allowed the young speedster to break away from the defense for the game-winning touchdown last week. If Fields continues to play like this, Mike Tomlin simply can’t replace him as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback.
