For the first time in his NFL career, quarterback Justin Fields took the field in a non-Chicago Bears jersey. During Friday night’s pre-season opener against the Houston Texans, Fields served as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback, largely due to a calf injury that has afflicted Russell Wilson for the past several days. Nonetheless, Fields opened up the game, and stayed behind center throughout the entirety of the first quarter, to mixed results.
Justin Fields Flashes Decisiveness, Struggles with the Snap in First Game Following Chicago Bears Trade
Fields and the Steelers’ offense could not put together a scoring drive with the former Buckeye on the field but were able to move the ball effectively in spots. Primarily, Fields flashed as a decisive passer and made several quick completions, including a 16-yard pass to Najee Harris and a 15-yard pass to George Pickens on the opening drive. Fields finished the day with just one incompletion on six pass attempts, resulting in 67 total yards.
Justin Fields ➡️ Najee Harris for the first down!
📺: #HOUvsPIT on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/8P4GHzlveV— NFL (@NFL) August 9, 2024
While it was promising to see Fields confidently hit open receivers consistently, some familiar problems reared their head throughout the game, including holding on to the ball just a tick too long. Now, no one here is saying that the pass protection execution during the pre-season is flawless, but still, in two “critical” third-down scenarios, Fields took two sacks, one from his blindside and one in his face. This remains an area to improve for Fields, who possesses the athletic abilities to elude pressure but has seemingly yet to find a balance between when to stay in the pocket to make a play, and when to trust his feet to do so instead.
Danielle Hunter coming in clutch 💪 @HoustonTexans
📺: #HOUvsPIT on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/V8FWLPAMFU— NFL (@NFL) August 9, 2024
Alongside the sacks, Fields also had a couple of mishaps in the center-quarterback exchange, resulting in two fumbles. Fortunately for Fields, these missteps did not cost the team too much (in fact, they gained four yards total on two fumbles), but still, the snap will likely be a procedure that Fields will continue to drill throughout camp.
It is also worth noting that center Nate Herbig, who has played guard throughout the majority of his career, is not an experienced center, and may very well get beat out for the job by rookie second-round pick Zach Frazier. In short, this problem with the snap is not likely to carry into the regular season (head coach Mike Tomlin will make sure of that), but it remains a slight knock on Fields’ debut performance.
Despite his struggles and the offense’s lack of production with Fields at the helm, the young quarterback will still have opportunities, both in the pre-season and regular season, to show his value to the Steelers and their offense. With Wilson slated to return to full health ahead of Week 1, Fields may open the season as the backup, but in a 17-game season, there will be many opportunities for Fields to see the field.
Beyond his personal development as a quarterback, Fields’ playing time during the regular season will be closely monitored by Bears fans. In the trade to send the signal caller to the AFC, the conditional 2025 sixth-round pick received in return will turn into a fourth-round selection if Fields starts over 50% of the Steelers’ offensive plays throughout the year.
All in all, wether you are cheering for your former quarterback based on personal fandom, or simply searching for a higher draft selection, it is hard to root against Fields’ redemption tour in Pittsburgh, and it would be great to see both him and his replacement in Caleb Williams shine throughout the 2024 campaign.
