The Pittsburgh Steelers have an issue under center, and head coach Mike Tomlin apparently sees a potential fix: Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Tomlin is a “big fan” of Fields and that’s it’s something to keep “in mind during the offseason and the coming weeks.”
Schefter also reported on Sunday that the Bears are considering keeping Fields and still taking a signal-caller with the first pick of the NFL Draft this spring, so Chicago may not know what exactly it is doing with Fields at the moment.
That being said, the Steelers have long been mentioned as a potential destination for Fields, whose time in the Windy City may be running out.
Fields, who played his collegiate football at Ohio State, was selected by the Bears with the 11th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
He had a rather paltry rookie campaign, making 10 starts and throwing for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 58.9 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 73.2. He also rushed for 420 yards and a couple of scores.
The following year, Fields showed some progression, starting 15 games and totaling 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 picks while completing 60.4 percent of his throws and registering a passer rating of 85.2. Most impressive, he racked up 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.
Then, this season, Fields missed four starts due to a dislocated thumb. In the 13 games he was on the field, he threw for 2,562 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine picks while completing 61.4 percent of his passes and recording a passer rating of 86.3. He added 657 yards while reaching the end zone four times as a rusher.
Fields has shown flashes of brilliance, but he has also displayed maddening inconsistency over the first three seasons of his NFL career.
Perhaps Mike Tomlin feels that he can rein Fields in and turn him into a playoff-caliber quarterback.
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