According to Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Warren, Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith has considered using Justin Fields as a kick returner during the 2024 season. On Pro Football Talk Live today, Mike Florio said he believes it’s more than just Smith who’s considering the move, as he thinks that people higher-up in the organization want Fields to return kicks.
“It doesn’t surprise me. And it doesn’t surprise me because I think people higher up on the ladder than the special teams coordinator have been talking about Justin Fields returning kicks for the Steelers. And the idea of Justin Fields and Cordarrelle Patterson back there together, that’s taking full advantage of the new kickoff formation,” Florio said.
The Steelers signed Patterson shortly after the new kickoff rules were announced, and while Patterson will undoubtedly be the team’s primary returner, teams will likely have two returners on the field together. Warren said that Fields is one of the two fastest players on the team, and he’s shown he’s agile and has good ball-carrier vision, traits that could make him a solid return man. When Florio talks about people “higher up on the ladder,” he’s referring to Mike Tomlin or the front office, and it really wouldn’t be a surprise if this is something they’ve at least thought about.
Fields is incredibly athletic, and while it hasn’t translated to wins at the quarterback position, this could be another way for the Steelers to get him on the field and take advantage of his rare athletic profile. If the team starts Russell Wilson at quarterback, it could still implement packages for Fields, but his offensive reps would be limited. By getting him on the field as a returner, the Steelers would be getting the most out of him and finding a creative solution to try and maximize their return game.
Florio also pointed out that the Steelers might be motivated to add to their return game with how lackluster their offense has been in recent seasons. While they did add Wilson to potentially start at quarterback, he’s still not an upper-echelon starter in the league. He’s an upgrade over Kenny Pickett for sure, but he’s not one of the top five quarterbacks in the AFC. The field position advantage could be a way for the Steelers to give themselves a leg up, and one way to make sure that happens is to have Fields, one of the fastest and most athletic guys on the team, return kicks.
It’ll be interesting to see if Fields as a returner is something that ever comes to fruition or is just offseason fodder during a slower period of the year after the draft, but it’s an intriguing possibility to consider.
