When Russell Wilson got injured and the Pittsburgh Steelers had to go with Justin Fields to start the season, many thought the game plan would feature a lot of designed quarterback runs to showcase his athletic talents. There has been some of that but probably not as much as many anticipated.
Through three games, Fields has 28 rushing attempts for 90 yards and a touchdown. That is just 3.2 yards per rush attempt, which is significantly lower than his previous career average of 6.2.
Fields was asked after Thursday’s practice if his lack of rushing is by design.
“Nah, I need to get my legs going a little bit,” Fields said via video posted by Amanda Godsey on X. “It hasn’t been by design. Shoot, when I see my guys downfield, they can run faster than me, I think. Or, I don’t know, I’m just gonna say they can. Definitely want to get the ball to the playmakers downfield whenever they’re open and create opportunities for those guys.”
His current pace would have him finish a 17-game season at 510 rushing yards. That would be the lowest he has had since his rookie season in 2021 when he rushed for 420 in 10 games. This season is currently the lowest per-game average of his career.
This is a positive sign for the Steelers. The best dual-threat quarterbacks grow into great passers who can run, rather than great runners who can throw. Lamar Jackson is a great example of a player who many discounted as a better athlete than quarterback before blossoming into a legit downfield passer.
It also means there is still more meat on the bone for Fields and his rushing opportunities. He has the second-most rushing yards in a single season by a quarterback in league history with 1,143 in 2022.
There have been a few occasions that the Steelers called a designed run for him, but it didn’t work out for one reason or another. Below is a play at the start of the Steelers’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday. Spencer Anderson pulled across the line but missed his guy. Had he blocked him, Fields would have had a huge lane to rush through for a nice gain.
Mike Tomlin has talked about wanting Fields to play fast and fluid, and not wanting to put him in a box or limit his natural abilities. With Fields saying his lack of rushing isn’t by design, it seems like there could be more good things to come on that front for the Steelers’ rushing attack.
