Justin Fields has impressed the Steelers coaching staff for two weeks.
Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith discussed Fields' performance as the team's starting quarterback in place of the injured Russell Wilson this week.
“What I’ve found very encouraging is his presence in the pocket,” Smith said, according to Steelers.com. “He’s been there when the pocket gets dirty. He’s made some big throws down the field. I’m very encouraged.”
Fields has helped the Steelers to a 2-0 start, throwing for 273 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 84 yards, and he hasn't turned the ball over.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin also had high praise for Fields, who spent the first three seasons of his career with the Bears before coming to Pittsburgh in the offseason, when he spoke to reporters Wednesday.
“He loves to compete,” Tomlin told reporters Wednesday. “He has a quiet confidence. He doesn’t change in any environment. There’s a clarity in his communication, in his response to communications, that’s really comfortable.”
The Steelers acquired Fields in March, sending a conditional sixth-round pick to the Bears in exchange for the quarterback.
Just days earlier, the team had signed Wilson in free agency, setting the stage for what became one of the most competitive positional battles in the NFL.
The Ohio State product was slated to be the backup quarterback in Pittsburgh after Wilson won the starting job in the preseason, but a badly timed calf injury kept Wilson out for the start of the season.
Tomlin hasn't said definitively what he'll do at quarterback once Wilson is healthy, but it appears Fields is being scrutinized more closely than he was during the preseason.
Fields and the Steelers face the Chargers on Sunday in their home opener.
