Justin Fields carried the ball 14 times during his Pittsburgh Steelers debut. As it turns out, that is more than any other Steelers quarterback has ever run it during a game. At least, that depends on your definition of a quarterback, a position that evolved enormously over time.
So let’s say, in the modern era, Justin Fields set a Steelers franchise record for carries by a starting quarterback. Back in the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, you had backs like Whizzer White, “Bullet” Bill Dudley, Johnny Clement, and Joe Geri, who would put the ball in the air. White led the NFL in interceptions in 1938 while earning first-team All-Pro honors. What these guys were doing is nothing like Justin Fields today.
Indeed, between 1952 and 1997, no Steelers player rushed 10 times while attempting 10-plus passes. Kordell Stewart changed that landscape, yet even he only rushed 10-plus times four times. He set his career high of 12 in 2002, Ben Roethlisberger coming just one shy of that in 2011. But Justin Fields’ 14 rushing attempts beats them all.
He didn’t outrun Stewart, though. Stewart rushed for 84 yards in his 12-attempt game, while Fields had 57 yards. In 1998, Stewart also rushed for 68 yards in one game on 11 attempts.
But this was also just the first game of Fields’ career as a Steeler. During his Chicago playing days, he rushed 15-plus times in four games, with a high of 18. He also had five 100-yard games and another two with 95-plus yards. His 57 yards in his Steelers debut is just the 17th-most rushing yards he has recorded in a game.
Why exactly is all of this relevant? Because this is where the Steelers and many other teams see the league heading. Now, there can only be so many Lamar Jacksons at any given time, but mobility needs to be in a quarterback’s arsenal today to some degree. Even Joe Burrow rushed for 257 yards during the 2022 season with five touchdowns. That would be a good month for Fields.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been harping about quarterback mobility for years, beginning in Roethlisberger’s twilight seasons. That’s why many convinced themselves he would draft Malik Willis in 2022, but the Steelers took Kenny Pickett instead. Pickett has some mobility, but not like Fields or Russell Wilson, for that matter.
Kordell Stewart played in a different era and all credit to him for that. His season record was 537 yards in 2001 on 96 attempts. That was also the year he made the Pro Bowl, and the Steelers finished the season 13-3. I don’t think any Steelers fans would complain if Justin Fields could manage something like that, leaning on his legs.
Speaking of Fields, he already has a 1,000-yard rushing season under his belt. In 2022, he rushed for 1,143 yards on 160 attempts with eight touchdowns. He led the league with a 7.1-yard rushing average, which is, of course, not sustainable. The following season, he rushed for 657 yards on 124 attempts. Hitting somewhere in between those marks would be nice, but we’ll see how long he starts for.
