Justin Fields cleared the air on Tuesday, stating that he would not be returning kicks for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This idea stemmed from Jaylen Warren on Cameron Heyward’s Not Just Football live draft show saying that ST coordinator Danny Smith mentioned the idea of Fields returning kicks. Fields said that the words were misconstrued and that Smith was just trying to make a point that anyone can be called on to play special teams.
Plaxico Burress expanded on that idea during Wednesday morning’s episode of The Carton Show on FS1, recalling a time when something similar was asked of him as a rookie.
“Danny Smith was my special teams coach. It is like, the standard is the standard,” Burress said. “When I was a rookie sitting on my helmet…Bill Cowher came over to me saying, ‘Hey kid, come here.’ He said, ‘You wanna run down on special teams for me?’
“I’m like, ‘Sure, Coach, no problem.’ He did that to see where I was at as a young player being drafted real high…and you know what? I ran up and down the field as a rookie on special teams giving those guys a look. And it’s all about the Pittsburgh way – if we ask you to do something, do it.”
Burress was the eighth-overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. Typically, teams aren’t going to risk those types of players on coverage units of special teams, but the Steelers wanted to test his willingness to do whatever was asked of him. Maybe even to keep his ego in check a little as a rookie.
This gives a little more insight into the idea of Fields returning kicks for the Steelers. Special teams have always been an important phase of the game, but that is especially true now with some of the rule changes set to take effect in 2024. No player should feel above the call of playing on special teams, and Danny Smith just wanted to make that point.
Special teams serve as a proving ground for NFL players. It is how many fringe roster players secure their spot on the team. If Minkah Fitzpatrick, one of the highest-paid safeties in the league, can block field goals and play on special teams, then anyone should be willing.
Fields will not be one of them, but it is still an important message from the coaches to the players that nobody is above playing on special teams.
