Analyst shares worrisome stats regarding Jets' Justin Fields

The New York Jets essentially purchased a lottery ticket regarding their quarterback situation when they signed Justin Fields to a two-year, $40M deal with $30M guaranteed back in March. 

For a piece published Tuesday, ESPN NFL analyst Bill Barnwell shared some worrisome stats regarding Fields' stints with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers. 

"He has taken sacks on nearly 12% of his dropbacks as a pro, plays that usually kill drives," Barnwell said about Fields. "His 40.9% success rate as a passer ranks 24th out of 25 quarterbacks with at least 1,200 dropbacks over the past four seasons, per NFL Next Gen Stats. With all of those negative or neutral plays, he has to produce big plays to survive as an NFL passer."

The Bears hoped Fields would do more than "survive as an NFL passer" when they made him the 11th overall pick of the 2021 draft. He instead won only 10 of 38 starts with the club, and he also took more sacks (135) and committed more fumbles (38) than any other quarterback from 2021 to 2023. 

More recently, Fields went 4-2 as a starter for the 2024 Steelers as veteran Russell Wilson recovered from a lingering calf injury. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin nevertheless started Wilson from Week 7 through a wild-card playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and Tomlin seemingly didn't lose any sleep about letting Fields leave via free agency this offseason. 

With the Jets, Fields will be working with 42-year-old offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Engstrand previously served as the Detroit Lions' passing game coordinator, where he learned under then-offensive coordinator and current Bears head coach Ben Johnson.

For a different article posted on Tuesday, ESPN Jets reporter Rich Cimini mentioned that "Engstrand's biggest adjustment will be transitioning from Jared Goff, a pocket passer with little mobility, to Justin Fields, a dynamic runner." Engstrand and Co. will want to utilize all of Fields' athletic gifts, but it's believed the Jets could turn to backup Tyrod Taylor if the 26-year-old fails to show significant improvement as a passer. 

The Jets' 2025 bye arrives in Week 9, and the Gang Green coaching staff could use that break to get Taylor ready to start against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 9. In short, Fields may only have eight games to prove he's the best overall player in the Jets' quarterback room this fall.