Belief Growing Steelers Will Start Justin Fields

The belief in Justin Fields has continued to grow as he impresses at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp.

Jul 28, 2024; Latrobe, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) is pressured by safety DeShon Elliott (25) during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports / Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The talk of training camp up to this point has been the two quarterbacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. While it was expected that the conversation would revolve around the two quarterbacks, the minor injury to Wilson for the beginning of camp increased conversation around the two.

With Wilson sidelined, Fields had an opportunity to prove why he deserved the starting role. He performed well throughout the beginning of camp, taking most of the first team reps and not making any major mistakes.

When Wilson returned from his minor injury, he begun taking more of the first team reps again. Head coach Mike Tomlin asserted that Wilson still had the "pole position" designation given to him early in the offseason.

Now, both quarterbacks are taking first team reps, although Wilson remains the starter. Due to the nature of how the quarterbacks are splitting time in camp, reporters and fans alike believe that Fields still has a chance to be the starter come Week 1 of the regular season.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated's Monday Morning Quarterback wrote about Fields among a list of position battles, including those of all of the first-year quarterbacks. Breer believes that Fields still has a good chance at becoming the starter in Pittsburgh.

"I wouldn’t count Justin Fields out of becoming the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers quite yet. Fields has played well, and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has a really long history of coaching effectively around the blind spots of physically gifted quarterbacks. So the longer Russell Wilson’s injury woes linger, the wider the door opens for Fields, who’s a strong program-personality fit for the Steelers, to eventually become the guy."

With Wilson coming into camp injured, Breer highlights the fact that his injury history could be a cause of concern. On the other hand, with Smith having a history of coaching physicially gifted quarterbacks, Fields could be at an advantage.

At this point, it seems like Tomlin is set in having Wilson be the quarterback come Week 1 of the regular season. Anything can change, however, and Fields has shown he can be a viable option through the beginning of camp.

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