With Russell Wilson held out of the first two practices of training camp, Justin Fields has taken the reins as the team’s starter. If you listen to head coach Mike Tomlin, it’s no big deal. Wilson remains in the “pole position” as the starter and things go on as scheduled. However, ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry tends to disagree.
“This is a major thing that you are now getting two days of all of the reps,” Thiry said on NFL Live. “He’s out there playing some football and getting to prove not only to the coaching staff but to all of his teammates what he is capable of doing… It might be Russell’s job, but the longer this goes on and the longer they try to keep this minor thing minor, it’s a major opportunity for Justin Fields.”
If this is a source for who to believe about the status of the Steelers’ 2024 starting quarterback, it’s safe to reside with Tomlin. Still, there is some credence to the significance of Fields getting the first-team reps and early exposure to the coaching staff.
A supremely talented athlete, Fields naturally has had his fair share of “wow” plays through two days of training camp, highlighted by his deep throws.
“Justin Fields is impressing with his vertical throws,” wrote our Alex Kozora, who attending the team’s training camp practices. “No limits on what his arm is capable of.”
Still, the main reason for Tomlin’s hesitancy in putting Fields atop Wilson in the depth chart lies in his inconsistency and raw traits, something Kozora also noted in his Training Camp Diary.
“Good two practices overall but he needs to be more consistent on some of the shorter gimmes, missing a couple of in-breaking/crossing routes these two sessions as well.”
The highs and lows are to be expected from Fields, who is coming off a similarly unstable time in Chicago. Spending time with the first team will undoubtedly help him to build consistency with the team, hopefully aiding in his overall development as a player.
At the end of the day though, it seems extremely unlikely that Fields unseats Wilson for the starting gig, no matter how many first-team practices he gets.