If the Pittsburgh Steelers are planning to utilize quarterback Justin Fields in an entirely new role, running back Jaylen Warren may have let the cat out of the bag.
During a guest appearance on The Not Just Football draft special, Warren shared with co-hosts Cameron Heyward and Hayden Walsh that Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith suggested Fields could be one of the team’s kickoff returners.
“Our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there. We’re like, ‘Hold up, hold up,'” Warren told Heyward and Walsh. “We looked at him like, ‘Justin Fields is about to be back there?’ I don’t know. I think it’s cool.”
Fields has certainly been dynamic enough as a runner that it’s natural for the Steelers to want to brainstorm new ideas to give him more chances with the ball. In three seasons with the Chicago Bears, he averaged 6.2 yards per carry and scored 14 touchdowns. In 2022, Fields ran for 1,143 yards while posting a league-high 7.1 yards per rush average.
But using a quarterback on special teams is highly unusual mostly because of the high-risk of injury.
“Smith, who has been the Steelers’ special teams coordinator since 2013, is known for being an innovative mind, but this is more out-of-the-box than usual,” wrote ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
New Kickoff Rules to Allow Justin Fields Opportunity?
If the Steelers are serious about considering Fields for a special teams role, it’s likely because of the new kickoff rules.
The NFL approved a kickoff format to both encourage more returns and make the play safer. Under the new rules, no player can move on a kickoff until the ball is touched.
The coverage team will line up at the 40-yard line with blockers set up at the 30 and 35-yard lines. So, the kick returners will have around 30 yards of free space to run and a wall of blockers set up.
A returner such as Fields could avoid tacklers by running out of bounds or sliding if the play isn’t going to result in a bigger gain. But the upside of having a runner like Fields on the play could be tremendous because of the amount of space returners will have next season.
The NFL owners overwhelming approved the new kickoff return rules with a 29-3 vote in March.
Steelers Signed Cordarrelle Patterson to Return Kickoffs
Fields on Pittsburgh’s kickoff return team is an intriguing possibility. But Pryor still argued it’s doubtful that Fields will return kicks for several reasons.
“It’s unlikely, though, that Fields would actually return kicks, not only because the Steelers signed return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson earlier this offseason but also because a backup quarterback participating in a kickoff return is a high-risk move, even with rules adopted to make the play safer,” wrote Pryor.
The Steelers signed Patterson to a 2-year, $6 million contract this offseason. Pittsburgh agreed to the deal with Patterson the same day the owners approved the new kickoff format.
Patterson has returned 9 nine kickoffs for touchdowns in his 11-year NFL career. That’s an NFL record.
Perhaps the Steelers could use both Patterson and Fields as returners on kickoffs. But it seems doubtful that Pittsburgh will prioritize Fields on special teams over one of the greatest returners in NFL history.
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Steelers RB Jaylen Warren Reveals Wild Potential Role for Justin Fields