With Russell Wilson nursing an injury, former

signal caller Justin Fields has begun to gain traction for the starting quarterback job.

By most accounts, Fields looked good in training camp and impressed with his athleticism and downfield passing. While Fields’ playing status for 2024 remains up in the air, it’s hard to deny the shift that’s taken place in Pittsburgh.

The younger quarterback is now getting first-team reps and, with each passing day, getting more familiar with his new teammates and coaching staff, though a shaky preseason debut pumped the brakes on the excitement surrounding him somewhat. Conversely, Wilson has lost out on valuable practice time, stopping these connections from forming.

Enthusiasm for Fields may be high among Pittsburgh fans, but it’s crucial that fans don’t lose sight of what he is, which is an inherently flawed player who puts constraints on his offense.

A Polarizing Prospect in 2021 NFL Draft

Fields' issues date back to his college days

Before discussing Fields in the context of 2024, let’s go back to the weeks that preceded the 2021 Draft, where Fields would go 11th overall. Fields' fall was enigmatic to many. Superficially speaking, he checked all the boxes. He had the size, arm-talent, athleticism, and accuracy.

Additionally, Fields proved he could lead a winning team, making two playoff appearances in his two years as a starter at Ohio State. Yet, the league was lukewarm on him as a prospect.

Teams were wary of Fields’ processing speed, which they deemed too slow for the NFL. This opened up a can of worms and led to conversations about racial tropes regarding non-white quarterbacks and the tendency to fixate on their physical traits while downplaying their intelligence.

Fields has always been smart. He scored extremely well on a mental aptitude test he took in the build-up to the draft and maintained good grades throughout high school and college. Even when hearing him speak in press conferences, it’s clear he’s a very thoughtful and sharp individual.

Unfortunately, general intelligence isn’t always indicative of football instincts or processing speed. Dak Prescott , who posted a relatively modest Wonderlic score, is among the league’s best pre- and post-snap processors, whereas Ryan Fitzpatrick, who graduated from Harvard, often played as though he was wearing a blindfold.

Simply labeling players as smart or unintelligent based on their ability to quickly identify the soft spots in coverage or play in rhythm is reductive, but that doesn’t mean these things aren’t important traits.

This issue largely explains why Fields fell out of the top 10 on draft night. Despite his talent, there were concerns about whether his intelligence translated to his football intuition.

A Frustrating Run With Chicago Bears

Fields' up-and-down play befuddled his coaches in the Windy City

The whole point of revisiting the spring of 2021 is to remind people that the issues Fields had in Chicago weren’t exactly new or unforeseeable. Rather, they were exactly what his detractors forecasted.

With the Bears, Fields struggled to sense pressure and read offensive concepts with haste, resulting in a large number of sacks and an extremely volatile passing game. When he could get rid of the football, the results were generally positive.

Fields had one of the best deep balls in 2022 and 2023 and avoided risky throws. This further illustrates the point that Fields is smart enough to see and understand what defenses are giving him but doesn’t absorb the information quickly enough.

Without a consistent aerial attack, the Bears' offense was hamstrung. It was highly reliant on the run and yards after the catch. Even Fields’ best passing performances never felt sustainable and were often followed by duds the following week.

He may have improved during his time in Chicago, but Fields never evolved to be anything different from what he was as a rookie. He was talented and exciting, but flawed and frustrating. As he approaches the end of his rookie contract, it’s hard to envision Fields evolving into anything else.

Why Would Things Be Different For Fields in Pittsburgh?

Fans need to be reasonable about what Fields is

It’s easy to romanticize a player such as Fields. He’s a 6-foot-3 quarterback with a powerful arm and top-tier athleticism. However, he’s also a high-sack player who can’t get rid of the football quickly, throw to the middle of the field, or stay healthy for a full 17 games. His 166.9 career passing yards per game don't inspire confidence.

The game of football isn’t played in a vacuum; fans can’t just extract his negative qualities and keep all the good ones. At some point, people need to accept that Fields is who he is and not what some may want him to be.

It is possible that the Steelers could reconstruct their offense to accommodate him. Perhaps an offense that comprises a healthy dose of quarterback runs and moving pockets, but this hardly feels like a long-term solution.

No one should fault Pittsburgh for acquiring Fields. It was a low-risk move for a talented quarterback. However, Steelers fans must not lose sight of why Fields found himself on the trading block with no team willing to surrender anything more than a conditional Day 3 draft pick to land him.

For a franchise that has prided itself on its stability and consistency, Fields sticks out like a sore thumb. He’ll make a great play, then take a drive-killing sack. Throw a perfect pass and fumble the next snap. Sure, he can be better than Kenny Pickett and Mitchell Trubisky, but his ceiling is a chaotic neutral quarterback who creates as many big plays as he takes away.

If the Steelers commit to Fields for Week 1, they will likely find themselves on the same roller coaster Bears fans rode for three years. It can be interesting and exhilarating at times, but eventually the ups and downs become exhausting and not worth the long-term commitment.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.