Ben Roethlisberger sounds off on 'training wheels' for Steelers QB Justin Fields

Now four games into his first season under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1), Justin Fields continues to gain confidence and grow into the offense.

Now heading into a Week 5 Sunday Night Football showdown against the Dallas Cowboys (2-2), Ben Roethlisberger wants to see offensive coordinator Arthur Smith open things up even more for the fourth-year quarterback. Speaking on Friday’s “Pat McAfee Show,” the two-time Super Bowl champion said he believes you’re starting to see the training wheels come off of Fields, and it’s allowing Pittsburgh’s offense to have an explosive element it didn’t have the past couple of seasons.

"Indianapolis is a hard place to play when they pump in the noise 😂😂

I think Justin Fields is getting more comfortable and his confidence is gonna continue to grow"@_BigBen7 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/i6eEjqZkbc

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 4, 2024

Ben Roethlisberger evaluates play of Justin Fields

“Early on, it was whether the training wheels quote on quote were on, or he just didn’t feel comfortable making that throw, like forcing that ball into that tight window, the last week and then the second half of that Charger game, he’s throwing the ball down the middle, finding seam throws,” Roethlisberger said. “I think he’s getting more comfortable; I think the coaches are probably getting more comfortable with him and his confidence will continue to grow.

“I think the coaches will get more confidence in him and I wanna see them use the middle of the field. Sit in the pocket and hit your in routes, hit your curls, like let’s make it like a passing offense a little bit because we know what he can do with his legs. We’ll see this week and see if they’ll continue to allow him to keep opening it up and allow him to grow his confidence.”

Justin Fields continuing to improve in Steelers’ offense

Fields, thrust into the starting role following Russell Wilson‘s calf injury, has played the best ball of his NFL career in Pittsburgh’s opening four games. Fields has thrown for 830 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on a career-high 70.6% passing. While the Steelers’ offense is far from a finished product, Fields is attacking the middle of the field and continuing to show off his dual-threat capability.

In terms of completion percentage, Fields is seventh overall, sixth on throws 15 yards or more, seventh against the blitz and fifth outside the numbers.

The Steelers have multiple comeback wins this season and outscored the Indianapolis Colts (2-2) 21-10 in the second half of the 27-24 Week 4 defeat. Fields said it’s time for a new approach against Dallas.

“You just can’t warm up to it,” Justin Fields said Thursday. “Like Coach always says, ‘You can’t wait for the first person to punch your mouth before you really get going.’ So, we want to come out the gate rolling, coming off the ball with energy, get the run game going early and play off of that, to be honest with you.

“So, like I said, just having that same mindset coming into the game and not really warming up the competition, as Coach T always says.”