Jets think they can get more out of Justin Fields — but the Steelers once believed that, too

PALM BEACH, Fla. — At last year’s NFL annual meeting, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he believed Justin Fields “oozes talent and potential.” Neither was realized to the Steelers’ liking, though, and they let the former Bears quarterback leave for the Jets via free agency in March.

Monday, his new coach, Aaron Glenn, struck a familiar tone.

“I think he’s a dynamic player,” Glenn said. “I think there’s more than we can get out of that player.”

They’ll be the third team to try. Fields struggled in his three seasons with the Bears before general manager Ryan Poles dealt him to the Steelers for an eventual sixth-round draft pick. Fields started the first six games last year because of a Russell Wilson injury. Despite going 4-2, Fields was benched by Tomlin in favor of Wilson, who started the rest of the season.

Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed. The Jets confirmed this week what the money screamed — he’ll be the starter this season. For him to be successful, though, the team will have to fine-tune what the Bears and Steelers could not.

“We want to let him play quarterback,” Glenn said. “That’s what he’s always wanted to do. Listen, I’m not saying he hasn’t had a chance to play that or do that at other places. That’s not my issue. But I know what I want to do with that player. I obviously want to utilize his legs but I also want to give him a chance to go out there and play quarterback.”

The plan, Glenn said, is to “utilize his legs” while crafting a dependable pass game. The latter didn’t happen in Chicago.

“I think he was able to process well when he was given an opportunity,” Glenn said. “Go back and watch him in college. He was able to process and they were able to progress as far as reading coverages.”

Fields is big, tough and has an understanding of the game, Glenn said. On paper, that fits what coaches are looking for from the modern NFL quarterback.

“He brings a dimension to this game that a lot of people are trying to create around this league that we can take advantage of,” Glenn said.

Jets owner Woody Johnson said Monday that Fields “is going to be a total winner for us,” while GM Darren Mougey told Jets reporters on Sunday that Fields was a good fit for their franchise.

“He probably had some of the best quarterback play of his career [last year],” Mougey said. “We’re going to do everything we can to support him when he gets here.”