Justin Fields has some things to clean up after first preseason game with Steelers

Justin Fields had some nice plays in his first preseason action for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it’s hard to say his outing will cause the Steelers to change their depth chart at quarterback.

Fields got the chance to start with Russell Wilson nursing an injury, and some of his better plays were overshadowed by mistakes. There were two fumbles on snaps. Fields took two sacks on third down. He played a quarter and the Steelers didn’t score. Fields didn’t look bad, but he probably needs a big preseason to put pressure on the Steelers to consider him to start Week 1, and Friday night’s game against the Houston Texans fell far short of greatness.

Wilson signed with the Steelers, and then the wheels started turning in motion that led to Fields becoming a Steeler as well. Kenny Pickett reportedly didn’t take the Wilson signing well, which led to Pittsburgh trading him to the Philadelphia Eagles. That opened up a spot on the depth chart, and the Chicago Bears were shopping Fields with Caleb Williams about to come aboard in the NFL Draft. The Bears traded Fields to Pittsburgh for a conditional sixth-round pick, but Wilson has been the declared starter since he signed.

Perhaps that has changed a bit since the start of camp. Wilson suffered a calf injury that kept him out of the first practices, and the injury was the reason he didn’t play Friday night. If there really is any semblance of a true quarterback competition, Fields had the first preseason opportunity to make an impression.

Fields showed off his athleticism right away. On the first offensive play, he was pressured after a play-action fake by Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter. Fields stopped and delivered a sidearm throw to Najee Harris, who caught it and took off for a 16-yard gain. It should have been a sack but Fields made something happen.

The first drive stalled, mainly because a center-quarterback exchange between Fields and Nate Herbig on a first-down snap led to a 4-yard loss. But Fields completed all…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-08-09 23:48:39

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