carried out by Justin Fields The true reason why the Steelers aren’t…

The statement made by ESPN’s Adam Schefter last week indicating that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is a “big fan” of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields caused a stir in Steelers Nation.

It should not come as a surprise that Tomlin could be interested in Fields. Tomlin stated, “Quarterback mobility is a more significant part of the game than it’s ever been,” at the owners’ meeting prior to the 2022 NFL Draft. Fields is the most mobile quarterback in the game.

Following that statement, the Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 20th overall choice in the 2022 NFL Draft. But Pickett does not possess the level of athleticism that Fields does. Pickett can scramble out of the pocket. But Fields can break out of the pocket and score a long touchdown on the run. There’s a discernible variation there that could be interesting for the kind of offensive they want to develop.

The last reliable quarterback the Steelers have had since Kordell Stewart is no longer in the starting lineup. A quarterback who can tuck the ball and sprint for forty yards is something that teams can benefit from, and Fields is one such player. But is he capable of being more than that? Does the Steelers’ decision to forgo the required draft capital in order to acquire Fields make sense? Why may he be available? We’ll start at the beginning before addressing those queries.

Perhaps Fields was considered by the Steelers during the pre-draft process. During the 2020 NFL season, Ben Roethlisberger’s appearance had changed from before the elbow injury. If Fields had been selected, perhaps he could have watched Roethlisberger for a season before taking over. But that year, the Bears selected Fields with the 11th overall pick, and the Steelers selected Pickett in the subsequent selection. It could be time for the Steelers to reevaluate Fields’ interest through the trade market, assuming it ever existed at all.

Fields began his career under then-head Matt Nagy, who most likely wasn’t too fond of him at first. In actuality, Nagy performed poorly at a number of things, and the Bears dismissed him after the 2022 season. In 2022, they appointed Matt Eberflus as head coach, although it’s unclear if he’ll be the solution in the long run.

Unfortunately, Fields hasn’t made the kind of leap in pass efficiency that you want to see from a quarterback, regardless of the coaching staff surrounding him. 2024 will see him start his fourth NFL season, with averages of barely 167 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0.75 interceptions per contest.

 

Fields can certainly be just as dangerous running as Lamar Jackson, but the Bears lack his passing development. A quarterback cannot just tuck the ball, run, and make one passing read. Many defenders are too quick to consistently get away with it, and defensive coordinators scheme too well. There’s absolutely no sense that Chicago has a chance to rally if they fall down when you watch Justin Fields drop back to pass and the defense sticks to its gap responsibilities.

Another significant factor in Fields’ career ups and downs to date has been turnovers. Fields has mishandled the ball 55 times in his brief career, including interceptions and fumbles lost. That cannot continue. Teams looking to sign a quarterback who wants to run a ball-control scheme, like the Steelers, will be put off by a figure like that.

Aside from the uncertainties surrounding Fields, it’s important to remember that the Bears have the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after trading with the Carolina Panthers. Caleb Williams of USC is a quarterback who has -400 odds of being chosen by the Bears and -900 odds of being the first player selected in the draft. Most pundits believe the Bears would use that pick to select Williams, and Vegas concurs. If Caleb Williams indeed the “generational” quarterback that the Bears have portrayed him as, then Bears general manager Ryan Poles would be guilty of organizational wrongdoing for passing on such a quarterback who can make a significant difference.

…Unless a team wants to move up to the first overall and is prepared to make a trade offer akin to Ricky Williams’. Now that all assumptions have been made, let’s examine the kind of trade package the Steelers would need to present in order to acquire Fields.

How might a trade package for Justin Fields be structured? The following appears to be feasible…