The play of the defense is a big reason why the Steelers are off to a 3-0 start this season. But, Justin Fields stepping in for an injured Russell Wilson and playing the best he ever has in his NFL career certainly has to at least force decision-makers on the South Side to consider if Fields is the future here or not.
Because, if there's any chance Fields could be the next franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh, that becomes the ultimate priority immediately. He's 25 years old and has all the tools to be a superstar. You never turn your nose up at that.
Of all six Super Bowls the Steelers have won, they've had great teams with great defenses. But, as consistent with the vast majority of Super Bowl winners, they also had Hall of Fame quarterbacks (it's a matter of when not if for Ben Roethlisberger). During the time between Terry Bradshaw and Roethlisberger, the Steelers went to just one Super Bowl with an above average quarterback. In fact, the gap between Bradshaw and Roethlisberger was filled with a whole lot of average at quarterback.
Now, Fields has played well in three games, but it's not quite time to crown him as the next franchise quarterback. That would be an overreaction. However, the potential is certainly there, which makes the coming weeks and the remainder of the season not only important for this year's goal of trying to win, but potentially the next decade or so.
Remember, the pedigree is there. Fields was drafted 11th overall by the Bears. But, he has been more defined by evaluators as the guy who turned the ball over 41 times in three seasons in Chicago, not the guy who in two seasons at Ohio State, led the Buckeyes to two playoff berths and one national championship appearance while throwing for a total of 67 touchdowns to only nine interceptions.
With the Steelers, Fields has looked more like the dynamic guy who won a whole bunch of games in scarlet and grey, making eye-popping throws downfield, whether they've shown up in the box score or not. The Steelers have known that ability was always there, which is why they were open to acquiring him in the offseason.
"That's often the case with us," Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. "Our interest in people in terms of pro personnel oftentimes can be traced back to draft evals. And that was a component of his game that was really impressive in Columbus, certainly."
Two components of Fields' game that has overwhelmingly impressed his teammates and coaches alike are his calm demeanor and quiet confidence. It's a tangible trait when you watch the film, and it's not something you can necessarily find in a box score. With the Steelers, Fields has found a way to become more and more confident in his play, which could be the reason why he's helped the offense sustain drives better than almost any other team in football this season:
"I think I'm pretty comfortable. I think that confidence is growing each and every week," Fields said after Thursday's practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "But I think I've been comfortable for a while. But, of course, the more in-game reps you can feel and get definitely brings more confidence to anybody and everybody who's out there."
That right there is a guy who doesn't seem phased by anything -- not a quarterback controversy, depth chart listing or even a heavy blitz.
Speaking of which, there are some tangible numbers that prove actual growth for Fields. This is the first time in Fields' career he's gone the first three weeks of a season with zero turnover-worthy throws. He had two as a rookie in 2021, jumped up to six in 2022, then brought it back down to four a season ago. And, Fields has done this while producing four big-time throws, matching his career-high through the first three weeks of a season.
According to RBSDM.com, Fields has a completion percentage above expectation (CPOE) of 7.9%, which ranks fourth in the NFL through the first three weeks of the season. It also markedly surpasses his previous career high of 0.8%. This stat quantifies a quarterback's accuracy, which means Fields is throwing the ball more accurately than he ever has at the NFL level.
Perhaps the largest area of growth for Fields is his performance against the blitz. So far with the Steelers, according to FantasyPoints.com, Fields has completed 18 of 25 passes (72.0 completion percentage) for 199 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions when blitzed, while also recording a passer rating of 121.9. His passer rating against the blitz during his three seasons in Chicago was just 84.2, with a completion percentage of just 57.8%.
"I'm not sure why," Fields said when asked why he's had such a drastic improvement. "Biggest thing for me is I'm trying to stay on schedule on first and second down and always try to have a manageable third down. That might be the reason. I just haven't been emphasizing it. Against the blitz, you want to be good."
And, Fields is doing these things while not utilizing perhaps his greatest weapon: His legs. So far this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, Fields is averaging 2.82 seconds in his time to throw, the fastest mark of his career. And, he's coming off a game in which he averaged 2.5 seconds, the second-quickest for a game in his career, and scrambled just one time on 35 dropbacks (2.9%), the lowest scramble rate of his career.
Fields isn't panicking at the first sight of trouble or as soon as he sees his first read is covered. He's been committed to playing within the structure of the offense, all while producing a 95.3 passer rating and 73.4 completion percentage, both career highs.
However, yeah, he'd still like to do some damage on the ground.
"I need to get my legs going," Fields said Thursday, smiling ear to ear. "It hasn't been by design. But, when I see my guys downfield and they can run a little faster than me -- I think, I don't know, I'm just gonna say they can -- I definitely want to get the ball to the playmakers downfield whenever they're open, creating opportunities for those guys."
If we see Fields put this all together -- a guy who can play within the structure of an offense, make throws from the pocket, but also have the same guy who's previously rushed for 1,143 yards in a season and can carve up defenses on the ground -- the Steelers would have their next franchise quarterback. And, especially for those who suffered in the gap between Bradshaw and Ben, that would be an amazing development for this franchise.
But, we're not there just yet. It's been three games. The early results have been very promising, especially because the largest deficiencies in Fields' game haven't been anywhere to be seen while in a Steelers uniform. And, for at least a sliver of solace, even Fields himself is keeping himself grounded.
"I'm just here to do my job. That's it," Fields said. "The thing I always say is: We don't know if we're going to get tomorrow. So, I'm only worried about today, and I know this week I'm going to start for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's all I'm focused on."
If he continues down this path, he could make a lot more starts for the Steelers. That's why his growth here is so important.
