There are different ways to respond to adversity in life, but Justin Fields took a stoic approach as he appeared to be benched in favor of Russell Wilson after starting the season 4-2. He acknowledged his shortcomings, said the setback will make him better and still plans to prepare in the same way regardless of his role.

Fields earned a lot of points from the media, the coaching staff and, most importantly, his teammates.

“I think it shows how revered this guy is,” Damien Woody said on ESPN’s SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt. “If you listen to how people talked about him in the Chicago Bears locker room and how people talked about him in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room, this guy gets it.”

The way he mastered the bench press is nothing short of spectacular. Just a year ago we saw what things looked like for Kenny Pickett. It wasn't nearly as graceful. Responding to adversity is one of the telltale signs of a good leader, and Fields passed that test with flying colors.

“There are many ways to be a leader,” Van Pelt said. “I think he was in that moment.”

The leadership component at the quarterback position is a big piece of the puzzle and one that Mike Tomlin talked about back in March as a crucial part of this competition. They may have two different leadership styles: Wilson is more vocal with the group as a whole and Fields is more individual, but both seem to be very effective at building support and trust in the locker room.

Najee Harris offered Fields plenty of support after the Steelers' practice on Thursday. After hearing what Fields told the media about potentially losing his job, Harris made sure to say publicly that the locker room had his back.

Ever since Fields lost the quarterback competition, he has been nothing more than a true professional, always saying he was preparing to be a starter and never making a veiled complaint. Pat Freiermuth described the dynamic between the two quarterbacks as “zero jealousy, zero resentment.”

There's a reason the Bears did their best to make sure Fields ended up in a good situation when trading him. Bears GM Ryan Poles said he wants to do right by Fields, and that will only happen if the quarterback has been nothing but a true professional throughout the entire process.

We'll see how this Wilson experiment turns out, but Fields, in my eyes, has taken another step toward proving he's a long-term option for the Steelers.