How many snaps will Justin Fields play in the Steelers’ season opener?
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin named Russell Wilson the starting quarterback on Wednesday—but suggested Justin Fields could play, too. As he told Rich Eisen, Fields has too much talent to just leave on the bench. Reading between the lines, a Justin Fields package sounds like a very plausible reality.
That doesn’t guarantee the Steelers will employ it, but they have it in their back pocket. Tomlin joked that his good friend, Raheem Morris, the head coach of their first opponent, had better prepare the Falcons for a Justin Fields package. He was obviously saying it in a comedic context, but that doesn’t mean it’s not also true.
So what’s the bottom line? Are we going to see Fields, in a non-injury context, on the field on Sept. 8? Obviously, if Russell Wilson suffers an injury, Fields will have to play as the backup quarterback. But will that, in Tomlin’s words, “weaponize” Fields’ talents as a running and passing threat?
And if so, how will they actually employ it? Will Wilson and Fields be on the field at the same time, or will Wilson come off the field when they run a specialized package? More importantly, when would they run such a package—in what contexts? Will they use it at the goal line? In short-yardage situations? Could they use it at just random intervals to keep the defense on its toes?
Tomlin doesn’t have a ton of experience juggling quarterbacks, considering he had Ben Roethlisberger for most of his career. But there was that one game Mason Rudolph started in which they ran a package for Joshua Dobbs. At least that provides us with some proof of concept in terms of a Justin Fields package in Pittsburgh.
Even better, Fields has run a “Justin Fields package” before. He did that during his rookie season in Chicago before he took over the starting job, so this isn’t unfamiliar territory. And he knows this is his only chance to push the issue now that he’s the backup. He will have every motivation to run the package to its utmost potency, which is never a bad incentive.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
