As the NFL shifts more towards dual-threat quarterbacks and quarterback mobility in general, the Pittsburgh Steelers have quite a few mobile signal callers on the schedule this season. Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, Jayden Daniels, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are all names still on the Steelers’ schedule. But perhaps none are more unique than second-year QB Anthony Richardson this week against the Indianapolis Colts.
Listed at 6-4, 244 pounds, Richardson is a big-bodied quarterback, but he can still run a 4.43-second 40-yard dash.
Patrick Queen appeared on TribLive’s Breakfast With Benz podcast today and was asked how a quarterback like Richardson will stress the defense.
“It doesn’t. I think that’s why everybody has a job we all gotta do,” Queen said. “We all got a job on the team and whatever that job may be, that’s what we were asked to do and we gotta do it at a high level. So that’s why we prepare every single week. I seen Justin [Fields] in practice be able to do things that not a lot of people in the league could do. So, we’ve been seeing it in camp already.”
Fields hasn’t shown much of his ability to tuck and run the ball yet in games this season with just 28 attempts for 90 yards and a touchdown. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t shown that ability to the defense plenty of times throughout training camp and practice every week.
Richardson, on the other hand, has 18 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown. He has generated eight first downs with his legs. Multiple Steelers defenders chimed in on the subject after Wednesday’s practices, stating the need to reorder their rules to combat a quarterback like Richardson. Whether that means having a spy at inside linebacker, or making sure the edge rushers don’t push too far up the field to create escape lanes, things could look a little different with what each player is asked to do.
Fields holds the second-most rushing yards in a single season for a quarterback in NFL history with his 1,143 rushing yards in 2022. Seeing that all throughout training camp has prepared the Steelers’ defense for the challenges ahead. Richardson will pose a unique threat with his blend of size and speed. Especially since the Colts have among the best offensive lines in the NFL at the moment.
