PITTSBURGH — Undrafted Steelers cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. was walking through the locker room Wednesday when Justin Fields called out, "Hey, Bean," with a suggestion for the rookie when he had a few minutes free.

As a quarterback, Fields often studies opposing defenders, so he wanted to give Bishop some tips on how to disguise a blitz from his inside position. It was a veteran giving a young player some friendly but constructive criticism — and much appreciated by Bishop as he experiences the whirlwind of life in the NFL.

Fields knows all about that, from being a first-round pick in quarterback-starved Chicago to now being in the driver's seat for championship-standard Pittsburgh, ready to start the Steelers' 2024 home opener. The weight of a proud franchise is on his shoulders at least for one more week as the also-unbeaten Chargers come to town and maybe beyond.

"I think it's definitely a blessing being here. It was kind of bittersweet when I first got here, but I was happy to come to an organization like this. I couldn't even be more happier now. I'm just glad I get the opportunity to go out there Sunday, lead my teammates onto the field and hopefully come out with a win."

Of course, Russell Wilson's calf injury the day before training camp practices began didn't just open the door for Fields — it opened the tunnel for him to run through just before 1 p.m. Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, though smart money would be on PA announcer Larry Richert introducing the starting defensive lineup, punctuated by one maniacally amped-up T.J. Watt.

This wasn't the script anyone had in mind when Fields reported to Saint Vincent College wearing a hoodie that read "humble over hype" on July 24, supporting a brand with a mission statement that "from the foundation of faith, athletes can build a life where their self-worth isn't rooted in the sport they play, the amount of money they make, or the number of people who know their name."

Fields certainly had humility find him when the Bears traded him for a sixth-round pick in next year's draft, then used their No. 1 overall pick this year to select Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams.

But everything changed during one fateful conditioning test to kick off camp when Wilson pushed a sled — not a blocking sled, but a weight-training sled — and that movement caused him to tweak his right calf.

Most within the organization would like to forget that ever happened. If you go back and watch Wilson's first post-practice interview with reporters in Latrobe, the Steelers removed a couple of questions and answers in which he gave more details about the training regimen that resulted in his calf problem.

At the time, Wilson said he thought he could've played if it were game time instead of practice time. But just last week, on the heels of missing the season opener after aggravating that tight right calf in practice, Wilson admitted the truth.

"I think when it happened in training camp, I was disappointed," Wilson said. "Because I knew it was a pretty strong, pretty good calf injury."

He maintains that if it were a must-win scenario, he could do the job. But week by week, Wilson's interviews are getting shorter. Head coach Mike Tomlin's explanations are becoming more deliberate and seemingly more careful. Tuesday, he noted that Wilson has yet to be cleared medically to appear in a game.

Wilson keeps working, and Fields keeps winning. It's not uncommon to see the former go through a mock game situation by himself or with a coach on an otherwise empty portion of the practice field, communicating with imaginary receivers and visualizing where he'll go with the ball if he had one.

Fields, meanwhile, is getting the ball snapped to him on every play as his NFL future hinges on his performance here. The Bears cycled through multiple head coaches, play-callers and front offices over his three years there. Records of 6-11, 3-14 and 7-10 weren't what anyone signed up for, let alone the 22-year-old drafted 11th overall to be the franchise quarterback.

"Everybody goes through life, planning for something to happen one way, and then it goes another way," Fields said Thursday. "But God has his own plans, and I'm just here to kind of go with it and kind of do His will."

That might sound like a pastor delivering a Sunday sermon, but when Fields delivers those words, it's anything but preachy. He's a soft-spoken 25-year-old now who couldn't be much different from the loquacious Wilson if he tried.

And one attribute of Fields is that he doesn't try to be anyone other than himself. Tomlin called it a "quiet confidence" that doesn't waver in intense environments. Starting offensive lineman Dan Moore had a different word.

"Justin is — he's definitely kind of calm, laid-back," Moore said. "But he has a certain aura about him. People kind of just want to follow Justin naturally. He doesn't say much, so when he does speak, it's definitely something you want to listen to."

Fellow offensive lineman James Daniels, who was in Chicago with Fields for his rookie year in 2021, sees someone "a lot more confident" now and doesn't sugarcoat those days. "We were bad," Daniels deadpanned.

But now, between Chicago and Pittsburgh, Fields is 6-2 in his past eight starts, for whatever stock you put into wins as a quarterback statistic. He's still the strapping 6-foot-3, 227-pound talent who was Mr. Football in Georgia, the No. 2 recruit in his high school class and the two-time Big Ten offensive player of the year at Ohio State.

Fields almost certainly is the most physically gifted quarterback to play for the Steelers since Ben Roethlisberger, who made his unexpected NFL debut 20 years ago this week. He replaced an injured Tommy Maddox in a Week 2 game on Sept. 19 in Baltimore.

Roethlisberger was a hot-shot rookie. Fields is a reclamation project who hopes the grass is greener here, a fixer-upper with high ceilings. If nothing else, it's one of the more intriguing storylines of the post-Roethlisberger version of the Steelers, a highly touted quarterback with the type of running and throwing ability that only few in the game possess.

"Yeah, it doesn't really happen like that," said longest-tenured Steeler and captain Cam Heyward. "If someone would've told me we'd have Russ in here — having the quarterback room we have now, I wouldn't have thought in a million years we would have that."

And the curveballs keep coming, right up to opening day on the North Shore.

There will be a crowd nearly 70,000 strong, many of whom were in the same building last year full of excitement for Kenny Pickett when the 49ers brought everything crashing back to reality.

"We realize that we've got a lot to do with what goes on in that environment," Tomlin said.

In other words, if Fields thrills the fans, they'll love him and celebrate his first start here. If he falters, he'll hear about it.

Perhaps Fields is built for this. Perhaps hitting the reset button is just what he and the Steelers needed.

"I feel like I've always kind of been even-keeled," he said prior to the season opener in Atlanta. "Some guys came up to me here and were like, 'You're just always so mellow and chill.' But I feel like I've always just been like that. I never try to get too high and never try to get too low. Just try to stay humble and do my job."

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