Who Should I Start? Justin Fields or Michael Penix Jr.

Thursday, July 30, 1:39 PM

Kansas City Chiefs new backup quarterback Justin Fields made some impressive throws in training camp practice on Thursday, including a perfectly placed pass outside the numbers to receiver Andrew Armstrong during 7-on-7 drills, according to Chiefs.com's Matt McMullen. Fields added another excellent throw to hit tight end Mason Pline deep down the sideline. The 27-year-old former 11th overall pick by the Chicago Bears from Ohio State was a massive free-agent bust with the New York Jets in 2025, only playing in nine games and eventually being benched in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor. Fields, who has always possessed elite rushing ability at the QB position, just has yet to put it all together as a passer to make him a viable long-term starter. He threw for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception in his nine starts for the Jets, and now he finds himself as QB insurance in KC for Patrick Mahomes (knee), who is recovering from a torn ACL and LCL late last season. Mahomes appears to be on track for Week 1 of the 2026 regular season, but if anything were to happen to Mahomes again, Fields would become an interesting dual-threat weapon in head coach Andy Reid's offense.