Oct 30, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) leaves the field after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
NFL: Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys
(Pittsburgh, PA) – The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly considering an interesting and surprising way of getting Justin Fields into the game plan next year.
While it’s expected he’ll primarily serve as Russell Wilson’s backup in terms of quarterback play, it appears they are considering have him line up deep to return kicks.
Running back Jaylen Warren, now a teammate of Fields in Pittsburgh, told the team’s defensive end Cameron Heyward about the idea during a recent episode of the “Not Just Football” podcast.
“Our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there. We were like, ‘Hold up! Hold up!’ We looked at him like, ‘Justin Fields is about to be back there?’”
It’s certainly an intriguing idea, given what we’ve seen from Fields as a broken field runner while playing QB in Chicago. And with the way the NFL has changed the rules surrounding kickoffs, and where players are allowed to line up before the actual kick, there’s an expectation that there will be more kickoffs in the future – and fewer touchbacks.
Of course, it could all just be smoke and offseason buzz. The Steelers already have an established kickoff returner on their roster – Cordarrelle Patterson – who has nine kickoff returns for touchdowns throughout his career.
