Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but there is another person arguing that the Pittsburgh Steelers should acquire Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields. It’s extremely likely that Fields will be available because the Bears are almost a lock to take USC QB Caleb Williams first overall in the upcoming NFL draft.
We also know that the Steelers need to add multiple quarterbacks before training camp. After all, the only quarterback who is actually under contract is Kenny Pickett. So does Fields to the Steelers make any sense whatsoever? Well, former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum thinks so. On Thursday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, Tannenbaum discussed how he sees some connections between Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s tenure with the Tennessee Titans, Fields, and the current state of the Steelers.
“When you evaluate Justin Fields and Ryan Tannehill, they are very similar in my opinion,” Tannenbaum said. “Big, strong, athletic, can make plays outside the pocket. And when you start comparing Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris on this side and Derrick Henry, and A.J. Brown with [George] Pickens and Diontae Johnson, I think there are a lot more similarities than there are differences… If I can get him in my system with a fresh start, boy, the sky is the limit.”
Like Fields, Tannehill was a first-round draft pick. The Miami Dolphins took him eighth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft, and he spent his first six seasons there. Also like Fields, Tannehill struggled in his first season with a sub-60 percent completion rate and more interceptions than touchdowns. Both quarterbacks showed improvement in their first three seasons as well. However, Tannehill never fully took the next step in his career with Miami after suffering a knee injury late in 2016 and reaggravating it during training camp in 2017, which led to ACL surgery that cost him the 2017 season. Then a shoulder injury cost him five games of the 2018 season, and the Dolphins traded him to Tennessee the following offseason.
Tannehill’s first season with the Titans in 2019 was Smith’s first season as their offensive coordinator. That season, Tannehill had a career-high 70.3 completion percentage while leading the league with 9.6 yards per attempt, also a career-high mark. In 10 starts (and 12 total appearances), Tannehill threw for 22 touchdowns with a touchdown percentage of 7.7 percent (yet again a career-high). He threw six interceptions on 2.1 percent of his passing attempts. He also ran for four touchdowns.
In 2020, Tannehill started all 16 games and threw 33 touchdown passes, breaking the 30-touchdown mark for the first and only time in his career. He completed 65.5 percent of his passes but still only threw seven interceptions, throwing a pick on only 1.5 percent of his throws, a career-best. He also ran for seven touchdowns with 6.2 yards per rush, both career-highs.
Tannenbaum thinks that there are enough similarities between Tannehill and Fields that Fields could see a statistical jump under Tannehill’s former offensive coordinator. As I wrote earlier, Fields has already shown progression from his rookie year. Fields had his best year in 2023 in terms of completion percentage (61.4 percent) and throwing interceptions (nine at a rate of 2.4 percent of all throws.) However, 2022 was his best year in terms of scoring (17 passing touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns) while also posting career-highs in yards per passing attempt (7.1) and yards per rushing attempt (7.1, which led the league).
One major difference between Fields and Tannehill is that Tannehill did throw for over 20 touchdowns in both his second and third seasons, which Fields failed to do. To the Dolphins’ credit, Tannehill did have the same head coach through his first three years and only underwent an offensive coordinator change after his second season. Fields underwent a full coaching staff overhaul after his rookie season. Ironically, Fields’ first offensive coordinator, Bill Lazor, was Tannehill’s coordinator starting in his third season.
Regardless of what happens with Fields this offseason, he will almost certainly be playing for his third offensive coordinator in his young career as Luke Getsy left Chicago for the same position with the Las Vegas Raiders after getting fired. So unless Fields ends up with the Raiders, he will have at least a new offensive coordinator again. That sort of instability can potentially harm a young player’s career.
However, Tannenbaum believes that Smith could be the best option to take advantage of Fields’ physical tools much like he got the best out of Tannehill during their two seasons together in Tennessee. Just like Tannehill joining the Titans, the Steelers would need to swing a trade, and ESPN’s Field Yates has projected what that trade could look like.
From the standpoint of what’s best for Fields’ development and the organization, Tannenbaum thinks the Steelers should acquire the dual-threat QB. And if Smith can work his magic again, it makes a lot of sense for the Steelers, financial obligations be darned.
