The question isn’t whether the Pittsburgh Steelers will sign a quarterback this offseason, but who will provide competition for Kenny Pickett or outright replace him as QB1.Pittsburgh released backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky on Tuesday, and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said last month that Pickett “will be challenged in terms of competition going forward.” Enter current Bears quarterback Justin Fields, who could soon hit the trade market if Chicago decides to take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick. 1 in April’s NFL draft.
According to the latest odds from Odds Shark, the Steelers are the favorite if they can trade Fields from Chicago.Mike Tomlin is a “big fan” of Justin Fields.Fields, a 2021 first-round pick out of Ohio State, is entering his fourth NFL season. So far, the results have been mixed. Chicago went 10-28 as a starter. He threw for 6,674 yards, 40 touchdowns and 30 interceptions with a 60.3% completion percentage. Pass protection was an issue for him as he was sacked 135 times. That includes a league-high 55 in 2022.
Fields’ strength is his footwork as he rushed for 2,220 yards and 14 scores. He rushed for 1,143 yards in 2022, the second most by a player in a single season (Lamar Jackson had 1,206 yards in 2019).Adam Schefter noted on “The Pat McAfee Show” Monday that Tomlin is a “huge fan” of Fields. “We know Pittsburgh is going to come out and get a quarterback,” Schefter said. “Whether it’s Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. I know Fields and Tomlin are a big fan. We’ll keep that in mind for the next few weeks in the offseason.
Decisions must be made by the organization. “But they’re not going to put Kenny Pickett as the starting quarterback.”Along with Fields, Pittsburgh could look to veteran signal-caller Ryan Tannehill. The 35-year-old’s career began with the Tennessee Titans in 2019 and 2020 when Arthur Smith was the team’s offensive coordinator. Smith is Pittsburgh’s new quarterback after being fired as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
