Justin Fields train with Minkah Fitzpatrick in South Florida.
A snapshot on Instagram showed Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields exercising with Steelers All-Pro free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in South Florida lately. Simeon Kelly, the multimedia producer at Fields, posted the photo. Fields has been training with Curtis Shannon in South Florida this summer. He was also seen working with former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool last week. They were teammates in Chicago. Fields demonstrated his arm strength in a video posted last week on Shannon’s Instagram Story.
Fitzpatrick still owns a home in South Florida, so I presume that’s how he and Fields met. This is the time of year when teammates typically plan exercises together before OTAs begin. Tight end Pat Friermuth revealed on the Around the 412 Podcast with Zachary Smith of Steelers Now and Tyler Weeks that he, wide receiver Calvin Austin III, and Van Jefferson all worked out in San Diego.
“I was just down there in San Diego with him working out and throwing routes,” Freiermuth told me. “He’s been fantastic at talking to guys and establishing that connection. He’s a fantastic person. You can tell he’s driven and determined to win and come to Pittsburgh to help us win some playoff games. I believe he will fit into our culture and locker room extremely well.” The Steelers did not expect Wilson or Fields to join the team this offseason. It is feasible to do either, but not both. However, a trade for Kenny Pickett made it all possible, and the team now has a completely new quarterback room.
During the NFL owner’s meetings last month, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin highlighted Fields’ upside and ability. “Oh my god, man, he oozes talent and potential,” Tomlin said about Fields. “He has taken on the responsibility of being the franchise quarterback, but he still gets to come into a community scenario and learn from someone who has been doing it for almost a decade. There’s a lot of flesh remaining on that bone, and I’m excited to work on extracting it.”
Tomlin discussed the process of adding to their quarterback room, why the team traded Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, and how Fields will be able to compete with Wilson for the starting job at some point this offseason. Wilson is currently the Steelers’ primary quarterback, but Fields will get an opportunity to prove what he can do in competition this summer. “We’re not hostile to competition, but as I’ve indicated numerous times recently, I believe it’s appropriate to set positioning as we go into this. “Russell has pole position,” he stated.