In his first three seasons with the Chicago Bears, quarterbkac Justin Fields found himself working under two different offensive coordinators as things changed rapidly year after year for the former Ohio State quarterback.
There was Bill Lazor in 2021, and then Luke Getsy in 2022 and 2023. Though he had some good moments in Chicago, is was too far and few between with the Bears never truly playing to Fields’ strengths, or putting him in positions to succeed and giving him talent around him.
Ultimately, that led to a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason for a conditional sixth-round draft pick as the Bears were set to pick Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams at No. 1 overall. Fields moved on, and now in Pittsburgh he’s settling in nicely and has had some strong performances in back to back weeks.
For The Herd’s Colin Cowherd, Fields’ performance early in the season might be an indication that he “found his Kevin O’Connell” meaning the QB whisperer that understands Fields and can get the most out of him in a positive fashion, that being offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
“Justin Fields is, I think we both agree, there’s a lot there. Big, tall, gotta whip — dude can throw it. From the pocket, holds the ball a little long. So, sometimes it takes the right coordinator. Arthur Smith has been a head coach. He may have found, like Sam Darnold, he may have found his Kevin O’Connell. I mean, it happens,” Cowherd said of the Fields and Smith dynamic. “You just find the right guy. CJ Stroud found his first out. Justin Herbert’s first coordinator, Shane Steichen. Sometimes these young guys, they need to find their guy. And it could be the second or third coordinator.”
Situations are, well, situational, to borrow a Pat McAfee line. Not everything is going to work. Sometimes it takes time and the right fit.
So far, that appears to be the case with Fields. He’s on a good team with a great defense and an offense that has playmakers to work with. Until his final season in Chicago, Fields didn’t exactly have talent up front in the offensive line, in the backfield or at receiver to work with.
The Bears did him no favors from a team-building perspective. And the coordinators didn’t help, either, calling their scheme rather than building around Fields and what he could and couldn’t do with the talent around him.
That’s not the case with Smith, who has come in and implemented his scheme, but is wise enough to work within the parameters of Fields’ comfort and play to his strengths, rather than asking him to do something he’s not. It’s worked, too, as Fields has made plays with his arm down the field, fired some terrific passes and has remained a weapon with his legs, especially in the red zone.
He’s really developed nicely under Smith in such a brief time and is coming off of arguably his most complete performance in Week 4. Though it came in a loss, Fields nearly led the Steelers to a remarkable comeback as he threw for 312 yards and a touchdown and added 55 rushing yards on 10 carries with two touchdowns.
Slowly but surely, Fields is showing signs of being a potential franchise quarterback. It helps that he’s in a very stable environment with experienced, accomplished coaching around him. Sometimes it just takes time.
