Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields put to bed the talk of him returning kicks earlier this week. When talking with Brian Batko, Fields said that special teams coordinator Danny Smith was using it as an example to illustrate a broader point, not something for real-world application.
That didn’t stop NFL insider Tom Pelissero, though, from flirting with the idea.
“I don’t think Justin Fields returning kicks is that crazy just because he’s that good of an athlete,” Pelissero said on Friday’s episode of the Rich Eisen Show. “A lot of what he does, if you look at his highlights, they look like kick returns. It’s him finding a crease and then just outrunning everyone.”
Pelissero isn’t wrong about Fields’ athleticism or his ability to find a crease and showcase his wheels. After all, a quarterback doesn’t average 6.2 yards a carry by accident. In three seasons, he’s carried the ball 356 times for 2,220 yards, and 14 touchdowns.
It also doesn’t hurt that Fields ran the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds at Ohio State for his Pro Day. That’s the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash by a quarterback, trailing guys like Michael Vick and Robert Griffin III.
So there is no question that Fields has the speed to do damage on kick returns. Pelissero is right about that.
He just happens to be wrong that Fields returning kicks isn’t that crazy. There are two main problems with that thought.
One, the Steelers addressed the kickoff returner spot by signing Cordarrelle Patterson. He only happens to have returned the most kickoffs for touchdowns in NFL history. Why would you contemplate putting anyone else back there but Patterson?
Second, the Steelers didn’t trade for Fields to put him on special teams. They have Fields under contract for one season, so logically they’ll want to find out all they can about him as a quarterback. Putting him back to return kicks would take away valuable time and expose him to unnecessary risks.
Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. So while I agree with Pelissero that Fields has all the athletic tools in the world to succeed as a kick returner, I think the Steelers are better served finding out whether he can be their quarterback of the future.
You can watch the entirety of Pelissero’s segment on Fields and the Steelers below:
