Russell Wilson may be the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Mike Tomlin made it clear that the Steelers aren’t going to leave Justin Fields on the bench. There will be packages on offense designed for Fields, which could provide a spark if the Steelers ever need one. However, ESPN analyst Mina Kimes doesn’t seem to feel too confident in the Steelers having a Fields package.
Speaking on ESPN’s show NFL Live, Kimes discussed her thoughts on the Steelers designing plays for Fields.
“It just so rarely works when teams are like, ‘We’ll bring in Trey Lance for the Trey Lance package,’ or I think about Lamar Jackson early in his career with the Ravens when they would try to use him that way,” Kimes said. “The best-case scenario is really Taysom Hill, who was quite effective on the ground for the Saints when they would bring him in. Is that really how you want to use Justin Fields?”
Kimes brings up a good point that teams haven’t seen too much success using their backup quarterback as another weapon on offense. Lance really hasn’t shown any serious NFL-level talent, so that comparison probably isn’t the best one to use. However, Jackson and Fields are similar in that they both have unbelievable skills running the football.
Jackson was used in a similar gadget-type role during his rookie season, but even then, he’s on another level entirely compared to Fields. His rushing and passing abilities are exceptional. It seems like the point Kimes is trying to make is that the Ravens were better off playing Jackson as their starter, and the Steelers shouldn’t make the same mistake with Fields.
If that is the point she’s trying to make, it’s a fair argument. Fields is going to make more mistakes than Wilson, but he’ll also probably make more impact plays. It really comes down to whether or not the Steelers would tolerate Fields turning the ball over. That’s a tough pill to swallow.
Hill is a better comparison than Lance in that he’s the best version of what that experiment looks like, although it was still frustrating. Drew Brees would be taken out of the game in favor of Hill on certain plays, and most of the time, it felt like that decision hurt the Saints more than anything. In that scenario, Hill wasn’t anywhere close to as skilled as the starting quarterback, leaving fans frustrated.
Fields’ current situation feels more like a mixture of Jackson’s and Hill’s experiences. Like Jackson, you could argue Fields should just be the starter because of the potential he has. However, like Hill, he may hurt the offense more than he helps it. It’s a double-edged sword, and one the Steelers will likely have to contend with for the entire season. Hopefully Fields can be closer to Jackson than Hill.
