For just a second I want you to mentally go back to a year ago in 2023 training camp. To think about the quarterback position in particular.

Think about the players, the coaches and the narratives surrounding the position.

Now, think about the transitions which have taken place throughout the offseason. The entire room is replaced, and the last significant move was the team trading a conditional 2025 NFL Draft pick to the Chicago Bears for Justin Fields.

The excitement for the team bringing in a talent like Fields, the 11th overall draft pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was palpable, but there was also some caution which was associated with the excitement. After all, if Fields was as talented as everyone thought, why would the Bears ship him away for hardly anything to start over with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft?

Fields stayed quiet almost all offseason, and fans and media alike were excited to see what Fields could do when training camp started at Saint Vincent College. The early reports from camp were, well, uneven. Some dazzling plays which make you shake your head in awe, and then plays which weren’t just head-scratching, but mind-boggling.

Narratives of Fields’ early demise were circulating.

It was at this point when we here at SCN heard from our source inside the facility and what we were hearing was how those reports and narratives early in camp were false. The Steelers were more than pleased with Fields’ progress, they were working on small fixes with his mechanics, and had seen him working diligently with coaches on improving the mental aspect of being a quarterback in the NFL.

With Russell Wilson still nursing a calf injury, Fields continued to get all the first team reps with the offense. Slowly but surely, Fields started to look the part. He started to improve his play, and fans were treated to him having consecutive good days. “Stacking good days” as Mike Tomlin would say.

After another solid practice under the lights Friday night, something happened during that practice which had the Steelers coaching staff beaming with pride, yet it likely didn’t get noticed. As videos circulate social media of Fields threading the proverbial needle, this play was mundane. It wasn’t filmed and shared, and it certainly wasn’t logged by reporters or media as a tide-turning event.

It was nothing of the sort.

After speaking with our source more on Saturday, he outlined the play which had the entire organization happy with how Fields is progressing.

Friday night there was a play when Fields went to the line of scrimmage and did what every quarterback does when doing live 11 vs. 11 drills with pads on. He evaluated what the defense was giving him. Fields saw the play called would likely relate in a loss of yardage, so he checked out of the call. The play he checked into gained a modest 5 yards.

The end result wasn’t what the Steelers coaching staff was ecstatic about, but how Fields checked out of the dead play and into one which saw a positive gain. According to the source inside the organization, coaches said while in Chicago Fields would have run the original play and tried to make it work, must to his and the offense’s demise. This was a huge mental hurdle for Fields to clear, and a sign of his progression.

How much has he progressed in just over a week in Steelers camp? To the point where the Steelers organization feels extremely confident he could carry the load of being the starter, and win games, if called upon.

Notice I said if called upon.

In no circumstance am I suggesting anything is changing with Russell Wilson’s status as the team’s QB1 right now. However, if Wilson’s calf injury doesn’t get rectified before the regular season, Fields would have the opportunity to seize the role and never relinquish that role.

There is a lot of training camp/preseason left, and the progress of Fields will absolutely be must-watch television as the team prepares for the regular season.

Want to hear more about this report? Check out the STEELERS SOURCE podcast as we break down all we know right now surrounding Just Fields’ progress.