Justin Fields ranked among NFL’s worst in latest QB ranking

Despite throwing a near-perfect game in the Chicago Bears’ preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns, and despite all the positive buzz surrounding quarterback Justin Fields from Bears camp, the 2022 quarterback ranking from The Ringer has the second-year pro among the NFL’s bottom-feeders at the position.

The Ringer’s Steven Ruiz recently published his ranking of all 32 starting quarterbacks. He ranks Fields 28th.

“This isn’t a talent issue. Fields has a tremendously strong arm, and he’s fast as hell. But he just doesn’t see the field all that well,” Ruiz wrote. “Throwing with anticipation is a prerequisite for playing quarterback, and Fields struggles with that. He is too willing to drop his eyes and go into scramble mode—which works out sometimes because he’s good at it—rather than dump it off to a back and let a skill player get those yards. Timing and accuracy issues make it hard for Fields to string together long drives, so he has been overly reliant on splash plays thus far.”

Justin Fields disrespect is nothing new

This kind of Fields analysis is nothing new. Most NFL analysts have Fields ranked in or around the bottom five quarterbacks entering the 2022 season and, well, it kind of makes sense. His rookie year was littered with lowlights of him running for his life and throwing desperation passes. And with those clips being the only impression he’s made on the league so far, the low regard for his outlook is understandable (it’s wrong, but it’s understandable).

Ruiz is as thorough of an NFL analyst as you’ll read. His breakdowns are fantastic and he does great work. But that doesn’t mean he’s right all of the time, and his ranking of Fields is an undersell. To be fair, Ruiz does acknowledge how talented Fields is and leaves open the possibility that the former Ohio State star can make his pessimism look silly. If I were a betting man, I’d put some green on that outcome.

Justin Fields, like many young quarterbacks, need time to develop into the player they’ll ultimately become. He went through early growing pains as a college quarterback and even struggled early in his high school career. His transition to the NFL wasn’t ideal, but there were plenty of “wow” moments to feel really good about his long-term upside.

Then came that Browns preseason game, the one where Fields’ command of the offense was obvious and the pace of the game slowed down. Yes, it’s a preseason game and, sure, he wasn’t playing against a fully-manned Cleveland defense. But the progress he’s made from Year 1 to Year 2 was obvious.

He’ll have to prove his success against the Browns wasn’t a preseason mirage and can be maintained in the regular season. If he does, rankings like The Ringer’s will be fun to look back on in January.