Justin Fields was all the time considered as a possible (and hoped for) candidate to hitch the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. As quickly because the Chicago Bears locked within the first total choose, everybody assumed they’d take USC QB Caleb Williams. That might imply Fields could be out there for commerce.
What most individuals didn’t suppose was that the Steelers would get him for a conditional sixth-round choose within the 2025 NFL Draft. Certain, it will probably develop into a fourth-round choose if Fields performs 51 % or extra of the Steelers’ offensive snaps in 2024, however that’s grime low-cost for a quarterback who has 38 profession begins underneath his belt in his first three seasons within the league.
Greg Cosell has some ideas on what which means for a way Fields is considered leaguewide. On Thursday’s episode of the Xs And Os Present With Greg Cosell, Cosell and co-host Doug Farrar broke down the Fields commerce.
“I believe the league advised you what he doesn’t do nicely is see the sphere taking part in from the pocket,” Cosell mentioned. “It needs to be actually well-defined, and you are able to do that. However you’ll be able to’t do this on a regular basis. So clearly the league felt that he’s so poor in that space that he, I assume he’s irredeemable so far as the league is worried… Nobody noticed him as a beginning quarterback.”
The crux of Cosell’s argument about how the league evaluated Fields is the paltry compensation he fetched in a commerce. It’s arduous to argue that given the variety of groups that went out and bought beginning or backup quarterbacks this offseason. The overwhelming majority of these groups paid extra in cash or commerce compensation than the Steelers did for Fields.
As Cosell identified, the league is hesitant to decide to Fields due to his struggles throwing the soccer. He has improved his completion proportion yearly however even final yr’s whole was solely 61.4 %. He has but to throw for 20-plus touchdowns in a season (17 is his career-high in 2022).
Steeler Depot’s Alex Kozora did a movie examine on Fields’ flaws and highlighted his tendency for making huge detrimental performs. His sack numbers and turnovers are huge issues. As Kozora notes, the Steelers relied final yr on limiting the detrimental performs on offense to maintain them in video games. Chopping these detrimental performs down shall be a necessity for Fields to have success in Pittsburgh.
Cosell acknowledges that Fields’ points present up on tape. He simply doesn’t agree that Fields can’t be a beginning quarterback.
“Are you able to line up with Justin Fields and play?” Cosell requested. “I believe you’ll be able to. Clearly, the league mentioned that you may’t as a beginning quarterback.”
A part of the explanation that Cosell thinks Fields can play within the league is that he can also create huge performs. He’s a menace within the floor recreation with a profession 6.2 yards per carry. He led the league in 2022 with 7.1 yards per carry. He additionally scored eight touchdowns on the bottom that season.
Fields is not any misplaced trigger, however it’s evident that groups are leery of his struggles. For each Fields’ sake and the Steelers’ future, everybody in Pittsburgh is hoping that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith can do for Fields what he did for Ryan Tannehill with the Tennessee Titans.
As a result of even a fourth-round choose in subsequent yr’s draft is greater than price discovering a high quality beginning quarterback within the NFL.
You may watch your complete dialog about NFL free company between Cosell and Farrar under: