The Pittsburgh Steelers traded minimal draft capital away to give themselves an exciting project to do: fix up Justin Fields and turn him into the quarterback that he was expected to be during the 2021 NFL Draft. He will sit behind a veteran quarterback, Russell Wilson, and learn from him to start the 2024 season. If the project works, then the Steelers have their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future. If not, then it's back to the drawing board for the quarterback room in the Steel City.
This project is only possible because Fields failed to truly develop with the Chicago Bears. Despite trading two first-round picks away to draft him, they had a potentially generational prospect fall into their laps with Caleb Williams, and because of that, they lost a lot of leverage in trade talks for Fields.
Despite everything that happened in Chicago, Fields' former teammate, Jaylon Johnson, believes that the Bears failed him, as opposed to him failing the Bears. He explained why while making an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.
"It was an unfortunate three years, just having so many pieces around [Justin Fields]: not having too much stability, not having too many actual weapons. To me, it was unfortunate. Him departing, it wasn't a surprise, but I definitely felt like it was unfortunate... Overall, I thought he gave his heart to the team. He gave his heart to Chicago. There was never anything short of his full effort. Just for me, [I] definitely love and respect Justin as a human and as a quarterback, but I think it's just an unfortunate situation when he came in."
With a record of 5-8 in 2023, Fields had his best season overall. He had career highs in nearly every passing stat, including wins, partially because he finally had a true weapon to throw to in DJ Moore. Even with Moore solidifying himself as an elite receiver, Fields only had roughly 3,200 total yards in 13 games. He could flash his talent, but it always felt like something was missing.
It didn't help that after his rookie season, the Bears opted to sell off key pieces of the team for minimal returns. The big move was when Khalil Mack, the face of the franchise, was shipped away for a second-round pick. With the best players on the team leaving, Fields was put in a horrible spot, and he won just three games in that 2022 season.
How Can The Steelers Develop Fields?
The hope is that Fields will be able to thrive on a team that has an abundance of talent. While the receiving core still has plenty of questions, the Steelers' identity will be in the run game. Adding Fields to a stacked backfield could give Arthur Smith plenty of ideas on how to use Fields' abilities, both with his arms and legs. The playbook could open up a bit.
Johnson also believes that that could be the case for Fields and the Steelers, as he believes that he could be a true game changer if he is actually given the chance to do so.
"Definitely don't blink when Justin's out there with the ball."
Even with the Steelers deploying a run-first offense, Fields could show off his arm. With defenses trying to stop the run game, guys like George Pickens or Pat Freiermuth could get open more often. Pickens proved what he could do with quality quarterback play in 2023. If he could develop the sort of chemistry with Fields like Moore did, they could be a very special combination, except this time, Fields would have an offensive line to help protect him and a system to make him more comfortable.
