With Russell Wilson starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the idea that Justin Fields could have packages for him gained traction when Mike Tomlin told Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris to be ready for a Fields package in Week 1. On the Scoop City podcast, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith weighed in the Steelers having packages for Fields
“There’s certainly a possibility,” he told host Dianna Russini. “There’s a fine line. They’re both dynamic players, and you want to use every resource available. Sometimes, you may have a great play, whether it’s Wildcat [formation], gimmick-type thing, it’s worked for us in Tennessee. Some other times it can stop the flow of a drive. And it’s hard sometimes to ask people to come in cold off the bench, but certainly, the opportunity presents itself. Everything’s on the table.”
Fields is one of the more talented athletes at the quarterback position, and he can use that to help the team move the ball with his legs, particularly in short-yardage situations. While the team trusts Wilson as QB1, Fields could very well still have a role that takes advantage of his tantalizing athleticism and gives him a chance to help this team win.
Given that neither Tomlin nor Smith have shot down the idea and talked about it positively, it certainly seems likely that there will be packages for Fields. As Smith said though, the team has to manage the risk vs. reward aspect of it when it comes to the fact that a “gimmick-type” play could be a drive killer or just not work as planned, even if the idea is a good one.
It’s something Smith will have to balance throughout the course of a game, and the Steelers may need to get creative with the plays they call for Fields so it doesn’t become too predictable. Regardless, it should provide an exciting new element to Pittsburgh’s offense and give Fields the opportunity to make an impact. He’s a talented player, and while he might not be as good of an option to start at quarterback over Wilson due to the fact his accuracy is worse and he’s more turnover-prone, he can still help the Steelers win. Allowing him to use his legs and spell Wilson in certain situations should make Pittsburgh’s offense more dynamic.
We’ll see if it’s something the Steelers implement as soon as Week 1 or if it’s something they build into their playbook later in the season, but it sounds as if Fields packages are coming at some point this season.
