Steelers Camp Takeaways: Justin Fields Keeps Getting Better

The Pittsburgh Steelers had some big name standouts on the final day of the first week.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields at training camp. / Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- Week 1 of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp is in the books, and after four practices, the team has plenty of names to watch, adjustments to make, and excitement surrounding them.

As they take a day off and return to Pittsburgh for some well-deserved rest, the team will take one final look at what they accomplished in the first week. Leaving Latrobe for the final time this week, the observations were many, and the standouts were getting more impressive.

Justin Fields Keeps Getting Better

The first day of practice, Fields went viral for a deep bomb to Van Jefferson. The next day, he had a pass to George Pickens and another to Calvin Austin that quickly took over social media. Then on the third day, he was the most consistent he looked all of camp, not making any notable "wow" - outside of a read option or two - but was rather accurate and much calmer.

Then, on the final day of the first week, Fields had his best performance. He started strong by throwing for one touchdown and running for another. During team drills, he threw an interception, but it was a wrong route by Roman Wilson (or at least that's what it appeared to be). Outside of that, he finished the day 8 of 11.

Fields has a lot of ground to make up before claiming a starting job in Pittsburgh, but it's promising to see him getting better with each day.

Scary Moment for Broderick Jones

A scary moment for the Steelers kicked off the final day of the week. On the opening play of goal line drills, Najee Harris took a handoff up the middle and bounced into the endzone. After the play, Broderick Jones ran off to the side, holding his right elbow.

He returned just a few plays later, but it was a moment of panic for those in attendance. Everything seems to be fine as Jones continued to practice throughout the day with minimal skipped plays.

Donte Jackson Claims First Interception

The Steelers defense claimed their first interception of the summer, with Donte Jackson picking off Fields along the sideline. Fields threw a pass to Roman Wilson, who is believed to have ran the wrong route. Jackson saw the mistake, located the football and came up with an easy turnover.

"Oh yeah, I'm going to have to let Minkah [Fitzpatrick] know about that one a little bit," Jackson laughed when asked if there's pride in the first interception of camp.

Jackson impressed throughout the week and is coming on strong as the starter opposite of Joey Porter Jr.

Payton Wilson, Kalon Barnes Add Turnovers

The Steelers defense had several turnovers on the day, with cornerback Kalon Barnes forcing one and Payton Wilson forcing another.

Barnes's came during a team drill when MyCole Pruitt caught a pass over the middle. Running alongside him, Barnes was able to punch the ball out and the defense grabbed it. Barnes later had a diving pass breakup that was nearly intercepted from a pass by Fields.

With Wilson, he got the best of Pat Freiermuth. The tight end caught a quick pass in the box and before he could even turn to run, Wilson was there to force the fumble. The rookie then took off down the field in celebration, and the entire defense was fired up that the rookie made a big play.

Darnell Washington Shines During 7-on-7

Darnell Washington had the best performance of 7-on-7, claiming three receptions. All three were sideline routes, with his final one coming as a quick out. As someone who's not the best route runner and has openly admitted he needs to work on that part of his game, Washington was able to create separation a few times and get his hands on the football.

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