He’s rushed for just 84 yards on 22 carries this season, which is a far cry from his historical production, but despite those limited numbers, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields remains a dangerous threat with the football in his hands.
Speaking with reporters Thursday ahead of the Week 3 matchup against the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, first-year Los Angeles Chargers DC Jesse Minter said that Fields is like a “legitimate tailback” as a runner, which can really give defenses headaches.
“Yeah, it’s a huge challenge. You always talk about in the NFL, a lot of the quarterbacks, man, it’s like the first play and then the next play, the second part of the play. And so, they’ll call some designed runs and things like that. He brings an element to their run game in that regard,” Minter said of Fields, according to video via Ryan DePaul on Twitter. “But then when he drops back to pass, if he does take off, he’s like a legitimate tailback, running the football. Size, physicality, speed, not afraid to try to run through tackles. And so, really, really talented player. There’s a reason he was picked where he was and has the success that he’s had. He’s won in his last something, six or seven starts. He’s got a great winning percentage.
“He’s playing winning football for them and their style of play. So, you know, it’s a great challenge.”
While Fields is still developing as a passer, he remains a dynamic runner.
For his career, Fields has rushed for 2,304 yards, including a 1,143-yard season in 2022 with the Chicago Bears.
So far in Pittsburgh he hasn’t had any of those jaw-dropping runs like he did in Chicago, but that ability is still there, and the Steelers trust him in big spots as a runner.
Against the Falcons in Week 1, Fields helped salt the game away in the fourth quarter, utilizing some designed runs to help move the chains, drain the clock and set up a Chris Boswell field goal. In the 18-10 win, Fields finished with 57 rushing yards on 14 carries.
In Denver in Week 2, Fields rushed for just 27 yards, but he had a key 16-yard scramble on the Steelers’ lone touchdown drive of the game, showing off his speed to turn the corner and run away from defenders.
While he hasn’t been able to unleash himself as a runner like he did in Chicago, it seems like Fields is close to really breaking out as that dynamic runner for the Steelers, which would be a massive boost to the offense under coordinator Arthur Smith. It could even happen in Week 3 against the Chargers.
Minter is worried about that. We’ll see what schemes he has in place to try and slow down Fields this week and avoid dealing with a quarterback who is like a legitimate tailback as a runner.
