NFL
Few quarterbacks in the NFL have been mishandled by his teams other than Justin Fields. He didn’t get a cast of talent around him in Chicago to get a fair shot. He was never signed to be the starter once the Steelers acquired Russell Wilson. Truth be told, he didn’t do a bad job as a fill-in. Despite all that, he’s still young has plenty of room to grow, and deserves a fair chance. Which teams should give him a shot this season?
Dallas Cowboys
The often-hurt Dak Prescott needs an able-bodied backup. One that the offense wouldn’t fall apart just because he misses time. Sure, Cooper Rush didn’t do so badly when asked to step in, but he never was going to get to the level of beating winning teams.
Fields might not be as talented as Dak (yet), but he plays a smarter and more cautious brand of football. Dallas could keep beating their head against the wall trying to find someone to step in when Prescott eventually gets hurt. Trey Lance wasn’t the answer so much so that they skipped right over him and went to Rush. Justin Fields proved he can fill that void, but Dallas only goes after established players. They’re not the type to sign anyone they think might be a project.
Tennessee Titans
Tennessee needs work. So much so that the first-round pick, first overall, might be wasted if they choose to hold on to their pick. They have a QB in place right now in Will Levis, but he’s neither proven he should be replaced or proven he’s their go-to guy. He’s kind of been in limbo but that has to fall on Tennessee.
They haven’t given him the playmakers nor have they brought in legitimate competition for him to beat out. If the Titans go after someone such as Fields, they won’t have to break the bank for a guy who proved he can take care of the football while the defense keeps them in games. Tennessee could go back to their brand of football by focusing on its defense if they decide to bring in Fields to compete. Getting a few playmakers in free agency and building a punishing defense should be their off-season priority.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are a team with a big decision in free agency. Sam Darnold was their heart and soul at QB this year when JJ McCarthy went down before the season even started. Now the team went out and got Daniel Jomes as Darnold’s backup, but who knows if he’ll stick in a backup role with many teams needing a starter when he hits free agency. Darnold also played himself into a payday this offseason so Minnesota might be looking for a backup for the season or someone to be a placeholder if McCarthy isn’t ready to go by the season opener.
Insert Justin Fields. He’s the kind of player you want to have in a backup role. If McCarthy struggles this season to get healthy or comes back and doesn’t play to his potential, there’s no reason the Vikings don’t have the talent and defense to set Fields up for success.
Long before Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting QB for the Kansas City Chiefs, Andy Reid and Alex Smith arrived in KC. The duo never had a losing season. That should be Justin Fields’ floor. He could be an Alex Smith type who takes care of the football and wins football games and that’s okay for a team transitioning to a franchise QB. However, he’s not getting his fair shot in the NFL. With the right talent and coaching, he could have the same success as Sam Darnold did with the Vikings this season.
