Justin Fields’ former coach warns Steelers about QB’s fool’s gold

It's a new era for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they move toward the start of the 2024 season, specifically as it pertains to quarterback. At this point with the oxygen that's been exhausted on it already, we don't need to go in-depth on the fact that Omar Khan and the Steelers traded away Kenny Pickett while then bringing in both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields this offseason.

All reports to this point have indicated that Wilson, who signed for the veteran minimum after his costly release from the Denver Broncos, will be the starter going into training camp with Fields as the backup. However, the former Chicago Bears first-round pick will have a chance to compete for the job, which is something many Steelers fans have been hoping for.

Given how poorly Wilson performed in the Mile High City, those hopes for Fields make sense. With the Ohio State product's mobility and tools, along with his flashes at the NFL level, the upside of Fields appears much more enticing than Wilson, especially as a possible long-term option in Pittsburgh.

However, one of Fields' former coaches doesn't seem to think that's a reasonable outlook for the quarterback based on what he's seen.

Justin Fields' former coach slams Steelers QB, raises questions about future

Tyler Dunne of Go Long TD ($) had a breakdown about the transition in Chicago from Fields to No. 1 pick Caleb Williams this offseason. And in that, there was quite a bit about the issues with Fields. Most notably, though, some of his former coaches absolutely ripped the now-Steelers quarterback for his lack of high-level processing as a quarterback.

One of those coaches went right for the throat, basically saying that Fields would be great in a pre-merger style option offense.

"He’d be a great single-wing quarterback if that was still around," the coach said.

If that wasn't bad enough, though, another coach broke it down with an even more biting critique of Fields, going as far as to say that him playing quarterback was just "bad football".

“Watch his eyes," the coach said. "He tries to see the whole thing and doesn’t see anything. His eyes are all over the place and it’s just really hard to watch. It’s just bad football.”

Dunne did note that new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's scheme, which we saw Ryan Tannehill thrive and breakout at the helm of with the Titans, should help Fields. But the issues with processing remain.

One could argue that, instead of these coaches critiquing Fields so harshly, that maybe it's an indictment of their coaching ability. At the same time, though, for a player entering year four in the NFL, you would hope that a weakness this glaring would start to improve, especially with the experience that Fields garnered with the Bears.

This doesn't mean it's a formality that Fields will stink in Pittsburgh and that he'll be relegated to an afterthought behind Wilson. However, it does pour a bit of cold water on Fields' upside and potential, particularly in the 2024 season, with the Steelers.