Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields played six snaps in the Steelers’ 24-19 Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns, throwing the ball once and running three times for 26 yards. ESPN insider Dan Graziano said he expects Fields to play more moving forward.
“The use of Justin Fields, I think will expand. I know they’ve wanted to use him, in terms of not just specialty packages but as a means of evolving the offense. They felt like when they put him in there, they were able to do some things in the run game, and then ultimately Cleveland brought everybody up and they’re able to take some shots downfield. So they feel decent about that, and I think you’ll see that evolve going forward,” Graziano said on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike this morning.
Fields broke off a 30-yard run in the fourth quarter that helped set up Pittsburgh’s first touchdown. He also had a pass on 3rd and 4 intended for George Pickens that may have risen to the level of a pass interference penalty, but it fell incomplete and no penalty was called. With Fields being a rushing threat, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Steelers look to use him as a passer more, as teams may creep their defensive backs toward the line of scrimmage in preparation for a run. Fields is obviously comfortable throwing the ball, and that can be something we see more of from him down the stretch as the Steelers’ usage of him continues to evolve.
It’ll be interesting to see just how much the Steelers intend to use Fields. His first action since Russell Wilson was named the starter came against the Baltimore Ravens, and he played a little bit more against the Browns. We’ll see if his usage is something that incrementally increases week to week or winds up being more game-plan dependent, but it sounds as if it’s something the Steelers will continue to explore.
Having two capable quarterbacks is never a bad thing, and with Fields’ legs being a dynamic weapon, it makes sense for the Steelers to want to use him as a runner to try and create some splash and keep defenses guessing. But using him as a passer is another way to catch defenses off guard, and Fields’ usage and how the Steelers switch it up going forward will be something to watch.
