The Pittsburgh Steelers added three new quarterbacks this offseason in Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen, but they almost had a different outcome. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Steelers had a chance to land Huntley, but after trading for Fields, that was largely ruled out.
“Huntley was believed to have had a chance to sign with the Steelers in free agency, a source told cleveland.com, but became the odd man out when they traded for Justin Fields,” Cabot reported.
Instead, he joined the Browns. Someone the Steelers know very well, Huntley, has played against them a ton in recent seasons. Huntley can be dynamic on the ground but is a questionable processer sometimes, often leading to poor decisions that put the ball in harm’s way. He has been productive in off-play action and targeting the middle of the field, which Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski loves to do.
Huntley joins Jameis Winston as the second quarterback they have signed this offseason to backup Deshaun Watson. Second-year player Dorian Thompson-Robinson remains on the roster as well. Unlike Winston, Huntley is only 26 years old and could have some untapped upside. That makes him a unique candidate in that room, though it is unknown how much Huntley will get to compete for the backup role. However, the Browns needed to fill out that room with guys who could play, given Watson’s injury struggles in the past. So, Huntley is an easy signing with upside for Cleveland.
For the Steelers, Fields took a small step forward in 2023, his third year as Chicago’s starting quarterback. The Ohio State alum threw 370 times, completing 227 for 2,562 yards and 16 touchdowns. He threw nine interceptions and maintained an 86.3 passer rating and a 5.29 adjusted net yards per attempt.
In 2022, he was 192 of 318 for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, an 85.2 quarterback rating and 4.63 adjusted net yards per attempt.
Since 2022, Fields has the most rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,800 yards and 6.3 yards per carry. Both figures are higher than Lamar Jackson’s.
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