NEWSLETTER
It sounds like former Justin Fields has a lot of work to do if he wants to pass Russell Wilson on the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback depth chart.
Here is an excerpt from the latest on the Steelers beat via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly, whose early review of what he has seen from the former Chicago Bears starting quarterback at Steelers camp seems eerily familiar:
“Don’t get bent out of shape with Fields finding himself on this list. His talent speaks for itself. But unlike Wilson, he has a lot of obstacles to overcome for an opportunity this year. Fields didn’t get many first-team reps, and that’s significant come training camp. More than that, you can see what made him a first-round pick … and also what made the Chicago Bears move on. The arm strength, speed and playmaking with his legs are undeniable. However, he showed inconsistent accuracy and relied on his feet too quickly after the first read. That stuff can be fixed, but maybe not throughout a training camp.”
Justin Fields continues to have similar problems in Pittsburgh as he did in Chicago
The words written above by Mark Kaboly are ones Bears fans know all too well. Arm strength, speed, and playmaking remain a plus. That is unsurprising. Justin Fields is always going to have that in his game. But it is unfortunate to read that inconsistency in the accuracy department and a heavy reliance on his athleticism are still there for Fields, who remains a work in progress. And if you’re someone who looks for silver linings in even the darkest clouds, it *IS* worth pointing out that Kaboly believes Fields’ issues can be fixed. Although, the reality is that these are things that won’t get ironed out in just one offseason.
The more we are removed from Chicago’s trade-up and selection of Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the more I realize that former Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy (and General Manager Ryan Pace) might’ve been right about benching the quarterback for his rookie season. No, it wouldn’t have been fun watching Andy Dalton sling it for 17 games. It would have been especially painful to watch every Bears loss while knowing the New York Giants pick would’ve been even higher in the top-10 of the draft in 2022. But perhaps, from a long-term standpoint, Nagy was correct in his initial decision to bury Fields on the depth chart in order to work on developmental things.
Gosh, I guess this is what it feels like to be that one meme.
As for Russell Wilson, it sure sounds like he is cruising to the starting gig with Kaboly writing that the QB penciled in to be Pittsburgh’s QB1 “did nothing through 12 practices to even slightly indicate he could lose the quarterback competition to Justin Fields.” WELP. That says everything, doesn’t it? To be clear, I am still rooting for Fields’ arrow to start pointing up again. But it is evident that — even after being given a path to compete for the QB1 spot — there is much work to be done before he can be considered a starting quarterback option. And I’m pulling for him to put in that work and make it happen because I love a good comeback story.
MORE: Ryan Poles Explains Why He Traded Justin Fields
In the end, I don’t love that Justin Fields being listed with the “losers” as the Steelers beat reporter assesses offseason winners and losers. But if Kaboly says not to get worked up about it, then I won’t. Granted, that won’t stop others from doing so — but that isn’t my territory. However, what is in my territory is following Fields’ progress with the Steelers. After all, the sixth-round pick Pittsburgh is sending to Chicago could turn into a fourth-rounder if the Bears’ former QB1 takes 51 percent of the offensive snaps with the Steelers this season. But based on the early returns, that doesn’t seem likely at the moment.
