Justin Fields early Steelers practice returns just don’t add up

While I do like where Mike Florio’s head is at as a whole, I am not so sure I would be hyping up Justin Fields this much. The face and brains of Pro Football Talk went on Pardon My Take to discuss the NFL at-large. One topic of discussion was what is going on at the quarterback position within the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. Between Fields and Russell Wilson, who is it going to be in the end?

Florio went a bit more macro in his take, saying that Fields is the far better player than Wilson. While I don’t really have much of a problem with that because I think Wilson is more washed than flotsam and jetsam washing ashore after a shipwreck, we have to pump the brakes before the Fields hype train careens off the rails and crashes into a fiery blaze somewhere just outside of the middle of nowhere.

The idea of what Fields can be vs. what Wilson has been leaves us in a very strange predicament.

“One of these guys is getting the starting job in 2025, and one of them is getting fired. Once Steelers fans start seeing what Justin Fields can do on the ground, and if he’s running circles around guys playing second string in the preseason, they’re going to fall in love with him. Russ had better get it done because if he struggles at all, the Steelers fans are going to be chanting for Justin Fields.”

At some point, yes, I would agree that Fields will be better than Wilson, possibly even right now. However, I don’t think either options are all that great for the Steelers. More importantly, Arthur Smith is their new offensive coordinator, and I know all too well what that entails. Then again, this is a Mike Tomlin-led operation, which means the Steelers will never be worse than 9-8 in a given NFL season.

Here is the entire episode of Pardon My Take in which Florio appeared to discuss the Steelers.

Keep in mind that Smith could have drafted Fields in Atlanta, but opted to take a tight end in Kyle Pitts.

I touched on this in a little depth earlier in the week. In short, Fields’ game is overstated because it relies more on a declining skill set. He may be athletic as hell, but accuracy has never been his forte. Sure, he can run around out there and do good things with his legs on the football field, but a loopy throwing motion and not being a thread-the-needle thrower will always limit his overall NFL upside.

It was for this reason why Kirby Smart stuck with a far less athletic Jake Fromm over him at Georgia. It is why the success he had at Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State was not honestly replicated in Chicago. He had all the best players in his conference on his team for two years. With the Bears, he went to quarterbacking Siberia. Thankfully, Matt Nagy is no longer going to cause irreparable damage to him.

To be frank, I do think Fields can be exactly what the Steelers need under center. I will never question Fields’ passion for the game of football, nor will I question his desire to do whatever it takes to win. However, Lamar Jackson in-division is simply a better version of him all the way around. Joe Burrow may have knee issues, but he is a generational passer. Can Fields be better than Deshaun Watson?

Overall, I wouldn’t have brought in both Fields and Wilson in the same offseason if I were the Steelers. I understand you want to create competition, but you also don’t want to create doubt in the locker room when it comes to evaluating the most important position on the field. By empowering Wilson, you’re not empowering Fields, and that’s a problem. Somebody’s feelings are going to get hurt here.

Fields is a fine quarterback, but we must stop lying to ourselves that he can be top-12 in the league.