While Steelers quarterback Justin Fields has worked to stay in the pocket, he knows it can’t always be that way. And the coaches know that, too. Early on, and still now to an extent, he is making that effort to stick with his progressions through pressure. But he and the Steelers know the player he is and aren’t shying away from it.
“No, not really. I’m trying to get everybody work”, Fields said on Sunday when asked if he and the coaches have tried to reel in his instincts to run, via Aaron Becker of Yardbarker on X. “I feel like in a game where a play might break down earlier, then yeah, I’m gonna have to take off, but Coach [Mike Tomlin] and Arthur [Smith], they never want to take away my instincts as far as running goes”.
A 2021 first-round pick of the Chicago Bears, Justin Fields is one of the best athletes at the quarterback position. He runs a 4.44-second 40-yard dash, yet his speed still catches you by surprise. A number of Steelers defenders and coaches learned just that during training camp already.
The Steelers traded for Fields earlier this offseason, though he is projected to serve as the backup to Russell Wilson. Wilson has been limited due to a calf injury, though, and Fields is making the most of the opportunity.
In a practice setting, the Steelers do want Fields to try to stay in the pocket more often than not. They are installing a new offense, after all, and breaking in new wide receivers. There are things they need to accomplish, and constantly scrambling doesn’t achieve that. But you also need that scrambling factor, especially to prepare the other side of the ball.
“We have a dual-threat quarterback in our division that’s very good at running, too, so it’s always good giving the defense that work”, Fields said, referring to the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, the premier running threat at quarterback in the game today. “But at the same time, the DBs and the receivers have to get work, too. You just have to play a good balance within that whether to run [or pass]. Of course, if it’s not there, then you want to take off”.
Over the course of his career, Justin Fields has compiled 2,220 rushing yards with 14 rushing touchdowns. His ability to run, whether by design or on scrambles, will always be an essential asset in his repertoire. If he should find himself in a game for the Steelers this year, they will expect him to use his legs.
But they also expect him to be a quarterback first, and I think they are seeing progress on that front. It might be work that takes more than one year, but if Fields has any hope of resurrecting his career as a potential franchise quarterback, he will have to rely less on his athleticism and more on his brain and his arm.
