Broncos passed on Justin Fields due to medical concerns?

The Denver Broncos had a huge decision to make with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and rather than addressing their perceived quarterback need with Justin Fields, they selected cornerback Patrick Surtain II instead.

By all accounts, Surtain is living up to the hype in training camp and even had a pick-six in his preseason debut last week. However, if Drew Lock doesn’t develop into a franchise QB and instability continues to plague the Broncos at that position, they could have the ultimate regret for letting Fields slip by.

Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson hosts a podcast titled You Pod to Win The Game, and in that, he reported recently that Denver was among the teams who didn’t medically clear Fields after he revealed his battle with epilepsy.

One Broncos personnel source explained to Robinson the thought process behind their final evaluation of Fields:

“It wasn’t the talent, we really liked the talent a lot. It was the medical. Look, the epilepsy…the concern about it was…the amount of risk that is there the day you draft him, versus what’s there 10 years down the line is the same. It never dissipates.”

Doubts also emerged from Denver’s staff about how Fields might hold up if he were to endure an NFL season full of brutal hits and lots of sacks taken.

Fields’ status as a dual-threat QB makes the evaluation and his unique medical situation all the more challenging. On one hand, his elusiveness and sheer speed can help him avoid hits better than most, but then he’s also going to be in more open-field situations as a ball-carrier, where defenders can tee off on him if he’s not careful.

Justin Fields’ medical issue was worth the risk for Chicago Bears