Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin once again left the door open for Justin Fields. He has played barely a dozen snaps since Russell Wilson took over at quarterback in Week 7, yet his presence remains an enigma. Despite having played all of three snaps since Week 13, however, they don’t take his skill set for granted.
And part of that skill set is forcing other teams to think about Justin Fields. He has made some positive contributions in the select moments the Steelers have used him. But they haven’t put him back on the field since taking a hit in one such opportunity—because he’s been hurt. This week, though, he is ready to go, even if he doesn’t know if he’ll be going anywhere. What he does know is that if the Steelers are thinking about it, the Ravens are thinking about it.
“I think me just being able to utilize my legs and stuff like that just causes the defense to have to watch film on that”, Justin Fields said, via the Steelers’ website. “Really just walk through, really just waste time on it, whether we’re planning on running it or not. So I think it’s definitely a plus for us, for sure”. The Ravens are the next defense on the schedule, so this naturally includes them, and it may be the last defense they play until September.
Earlier this season, the Bengals acknowledged that they put in meaningful work planning for the Steelers’ usage of Justin Fields. That was right after a game in which he saw his most extensive action but saw just two snaps.
Even going all the way back to Week 1, the Falcons spent time preparing for Fields. It’s worth noting that Russell Wilson, of course, was supposed to start that game. Fields started the Steelers’ first six games after Wilson’s injury setback, so Raheem Morris’ work paid off—or didn’t.
Since transitioning into the Steelers’ backup role, Fields has seven carries for 48 yards. He officially attempted one pass, which fell incomplete and drew heavy criticism. If the Steelers really wanted to use him more, there is plenty that they could do.
And with Russell Wilson struggling in multiple ways, including avoiding pressure, it’s not unreasonable. While some are calling for the Steelers to start Justin Fields in the playoffs, we know that’s not going to happen. And frankly, if they were going to do that, they probably wouldn’t advertise using him at all.
It’s more likely that the Steelers don’t end up using Fields at all. And even if they don’t, the preparation will still be a benefit if it made the Ravens “waste time” on it. Not that they seemingly have to study very hard to stop the rest of the Steelers’ offense lately.
