The Pittsburgh Steelers doubled down on the running game emphasis this offseason. They hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator. They drafted three offensive linemen (two of them with their first two picks). Could that allow QB Justin Fields to shine?
“Arthur Smith, former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, former offensive coordinator Tennessee Titans, that’s what he was known for down there with King [Derrick] Henry,” Former NFL offensive lineman Damien Woody said on Thursday’s episode of Get Up. “Everything is built to run the football. If Justin Fields could be the Ryan Tannehill of that Tennessee Titans, imagine where this Pittsburgh Steelers offense could go. He has the physical skill set, the athletic ability. Think of what Arthur Smith could do with Justin Fields in that type of offense with his athletic ability.”
When the Steelers hired Smith to be their offensive coordinator this offseason, Tannehill’s name was the hot ticket for Pittsburgh. It made all the sense in the world. Tannehill had his two best seasons as an NFL quarterback under Smith. He had his career-high touchdown percentage in 2019 at 7.7 percent and led the league with 9.6 yards per passing attempt. He then had a career-high 33 passing touchdowns in 2020.
When the Steelers hired Smith, they only had one quarterback under contract in Kenny Pickett. Tannehill could have been the ideal veteran quarterback to back up Pickett and help him learn Smith’s system.
Instead, the Steelers signed Russell Wilson and traded for Fields. Perhaps five to 10 years ago, Wilson could have been the ideal quarterback for Smith’s play action-heavy offense. But age is undefeated, and Wilson simply isn’t the same level of athlete he was.
Remember, Tannehill set a career-high in 2019 with 4 rushing touchdowns before besting it with 7 scores in 2020. He also set a career-high in 2020 with 6.2 yards per carry. That’s where Fields comes in.
Fields has 14 career rushing touchdowns in three NFL seasons. He had 7.1 yards per carry in 2022 and 1,143 rushing yards. If the Steelers want to lean into a running game where the quarterback is part of the game plan, Fields is the way to go.
And if the Steelers want to push the ball down the field like we expect under Smith, Fields checks that box, too. Pro Football Focus graded Fields as the fourth-best deep-ball passer in the league thanks in large part to his career completion percentage of 60.3 on passes thrown at least 20 yards downfield.
Fields certainly would bring a potential element of dynamism on the ground and attacking defenses deep that the Steelers have lacked. It will certainly be interesting to see if Smith and the Steelers embrace that in training camp and preseason.
