PITTSBURGH — Justin Fields says he believes he has shown his capabilities through training camp and the first two weeks of the preseason but directed all questions on his status in the Steelers’ quarterback competition to coach Mike Tomlin.
“I think I’ve shown what I can do,” Fields said Thursday. “I think the time that I did have with the [first team] practicing in training camp, I think that went well. I think we grew a lot each and every day, but at the end of the day, it’s not up to me.
“I mean, I’m just going to come in here every day, each and every day, the same person, being a leader for this team and work my butt off, and everything else will be handled.”
Though Russell Wilson entered the offseason in “pole position” for the starting job, Tomlin hasn’t named a Week 1 starter. Wilson will start the preseason finale in Detroit on Saturday, Tomlin said Thursday.
Fields, the former Chicago Bears’ first-round pick, also deferred on how much he will play against the Lions.
“I try to not think about stuff that I can’t control,” Fields said of the competition. “I try to just think about the stuff that I can control, so I can’t control whether or not I’m going to be named the starter. I can control how I come in every day, how I work every day and how I treat my teammates and every day.”
Fields took nearly all the first-team reps through the first two weeks of training camp after Wilson suffered a calf injury and started the Steelers’ first preseason game, playing three series.
Once Wilson returned, the pair began splitting first-team reps in practice. Wilson started and played five series in the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Fields also played five series against the Bills, leading the team to three points with 92 passing yards and 42 rushing yards.
“I want to see him show some of the things that we’ve seen out here in the practice setting,” Tomlin said of what he expects from Fields on Saturday. “Much like I’ve talked about the offensive unit. We’ve had some really good days and shown a really high floor with the potential for splash plays, and so I want to see it in the stadium.”
Tomlin didn’t estimate the number of series either quarterback will play. So far, the first-team unit hasn’t scored any points through eight preseason series. Fields played three of those series, while Wilson played five.
“I’m in the mindset that it’s a dry rehearsal, man. I want to see the fruit of the labor that I’ve seen out here on the practice field,” Tomlin said of the first-team offense. “We’ve had some really awesome practice days and shown really good consistency and fundamentals and splash-play ability, but I haven’t seen it in stadium yet. In a perfect world, I’d like to see that in the stadium before I move on to provide reps for some other guys that are trying to get a job for themselves.”
