The Pittsburgh Steelers overhauled their quarterback room over the course of the first week of free agency. Mason Rudolph was let walk, Mitch Trubisky was released, and Kenny Pickett was traded while the Steelers signed Russell Wilson and traded for Justin Fields. Wilson has the Super Bowl pedigree and a wealth of experience from 12 NFL seasons, so he is naturally being given the first opportunities in the starting lineup. But Fields is a decade younger with more long-term upside and has a unique blend of athleticism and arm talent.
Former NFL QB Chase Daniel doesn’t understand why the “keys” are being given to Wilson and thinks Fields deserves an opportunity to compete as a top QB in the NFL.
“I love him, and if you just go purely on the film based on last year, he was playing at a really high level before he got hurt and then missed some games, and then [returned and] played at a really high level,” Daniel said on The Athletic’s new podcast Scoop City. “Which made Ryan Poles, the GM of Chicaago, his entire process a lot more difficult than a lot of people probably thought by going and drafting Caleb Williams, trading Justin Fields.
“I just thought he really played well down the stretch, and I was very, very loud about it on all my social media last year. I know Chicago people loved it. I just don’t get why they’re handing the keys to the car to Russell Wilson after that disastrous stint with Sean Payton in Denver.”
There are still plenty of national media folk who hold the opinion that Fields could win the competition at training camp, or at least believe that he should be given the opportunity to do so.
Looking at Fields’ numbers, he did show small improvements year over year. His completion percentage, passing yards, and interception totals all moved in the right direction in each of his three seasons. His adjusted net yards per passing attempt was at its highest point last season at 5.29. Coincidentally, that is the same ANY/A that Kenny Pickett posted in his final season with the Steelers.
As a pure passer, Fields still has a ways to go to realize his full potential, but he has been moving in the right direction despite the instability in the Chicago Bears’ organization during his tenure there.
He also adds a whole other dynamic to the offense with his running abilities. He has the second-most rushing yards in a single season in NFL history with 1,143 in 2022. That is more than RB Najee Harris has had in two of his three seasons, for comparison. He also has 14 rushing touchdowns in his career.
“I think on the field, he’s a top-20 quarterback in the NFL,” Daniel said.
Daniel is probably a little higher on Justin Fields than most, as evidenced by the soft trade market for him. The Steelers acquired him for just a future conditional sixth round pick and then declined his fifth-year option. But at that price, the Steelers made a good move to kick the tires on his potential. If Fields can develop, it is a grand slam for the Steelers to have acquired him for so cheap.
