Justin Fields has not garnered glowing reviews through his first four weeks of practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Many observers have reported that the former Chicago Bears quarterback is struggling with accuracy, timing, and pocket presence. Mark Kaboly is among those who have made such observations—but he is not pessimistic about his future.
While he told Colin Cowherd on The Herd that Fields has looked “very inconsistent with his accuracy”, it hasn’t been all bad. “There would be some throws he would make where you would just say, ‘Wow. This is a top-10 pick. I could see why he was so ballyhooed in the draft a couple years ago’”, he said. But then there were throws that remind you why the Bears traded him. As Kaboly previously said, sometimes he looks like Ben Roethlisberger, sometimes like Mark Malone.
But he also said that “everything else” about Justin Fields “looks pretty good”. His athleticism is obvious, as is his effort and leadership. “If you can use this entire year to groom Justin Fields, I could still see him being a guy that’s a franchise-type-caliber for this organization”.
The Steelers acquired Fields for a future conditional sixth-round draft pick. They had no plans to trade for him until after Kenny Pickett requested a trade. That request followed the team signing Russell Wilson to be its starter. If Fields plays at least 50 percent of the snaps in 2024, then the Steelers owe the Bears a 2025 fourth-round pick.
Yet few believe that Fields has a legitimate shot to compete for the starting job against Wilson. Kaboly is among them, saying that he could have a near-perfect preseason and still wouldn’t start. Most feel things would have to go very wrong for Fields to even have a chance to play much. And he has a lot of work to do to even find himself in that position.
“He’s going to have to get things cleaned up a little bit”, Kaboly said of Fields. “And what better place to do it than in Pittsburgh where there’s really no pressure when Russell Wilson is that guy who’s gonna be here for at least a year or so”.
The problem is that the Steelers only have Fields under contract for 2024. While he may not command much as a free agent in 2025, they may still have to compete for him. Some believe they will sign him to an extension before the season begins, but what incentive does he have? If the Steelers want him back, they can always re-sign him next year.
The 11th-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Justin Fields only has a 10-28 starting record. He was in far from ideal conditions with the Bears, but he struggled with the same things in Chicago that Steelers reporters are indicating they saw this spring. As a 25-year-old in his fourth season, how likely is he to significantly improve in basic quarterbacking areas?