Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields didn’t receive rave reviews based on his spring practice performance. The recently acquired veteran looked inaccurate and reportedly lacked ball placement, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. This isn’t a new criticism, dating back to the Chicago Bears’ days. For that matter, Fields didn’t have “NFL accuracy” in terms of hitting the window, even in college. He threw for a over 70% completion percentage his final year, but he threw to “college open” receivers.
Among the many people who aren’t surprised by Fittipaldo’s report is former Pitt and Eagles running back LeSean McCoy. “Everyone can get better. But I think he’s the one” he said yesterday on FS1’s Fields on the Speak program.
Fields, a former top-15 draft pick, found himself available when the Bears acquired their first overall draft pick. In preparation for drafting Caleb Williams, they committed to dealing their former “future franchise quarterback.” The problem was that they had a hard time finding offers that suited their tastes. The Steelers eventually swooped in late and offered him a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025.
These conditions require Fields to play at least half of the offensive snaps. If he can’t throw passes accurately, there’s a pretty good chance he won’t reach that threshold. But if he does, the sixth-round pick moves up to a fourth-round pick.
Fields is currently playing behind Russell Wilson and that is unlikely to change. Although he has tremendous athletic ability, many say he still lacks basic passing skills. Some, including McCoy, suggest he needs an offense built to have a chance to work.
“I don’t want you to read a lot of books. I don’t want you throwing the ball a lot,” McCoy said of Justin Fields. He suggested an offense like Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson or San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick. But he only proposed that as the most likely scenario he could propose. He doesn’t believe he will.
“Let’s not act like we expect this guy to go out and be a really good quarterback. That’s not his future. That’s not his plan,” McCoy said. “You can’t tell me how bad he looked when he played here or when he played here, and then on the other hand say, ‘Hey, but he could potentially be really, really good.’ That doesn’t even add up… He’s not a good quarterback.”
The Steelers only seriously explored a trade for Fields after Kenny Pickett requested a trade. Pickett took issue with the team’s instructions after signing Wilson, prompting them to need a new backup. While Fields was still sitting there, they picked up the phone and made a deal.
But who actually closed the deal? Pinpoint accuracy has never been Fields’ strong point, and if it hasn’t already been, it never will be. Can he offer enough in other areas to complement his accuracy and make reading his defenses problematic?
