When the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to trade for former Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, many expected him to compete with Russell Wilson for the team’s starting quarterback role. But it sounds like the team has something else in mind for Fields.
During a recent appearance on teammate Cam Heyward’s podcast, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren revealed that Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith has been considering using Justin Fields as one of the team’s kickoff returners this year.
“I would, I think it’s pretty cool — as soon as you touch the ball that’s when everything starts to happen,” Warren said according to Pro Football Talk. “Our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there. . . . We looked at him like, Justin Fields will be back there? I think it’s cool.”
Obviously, it’s pretty shocking and rather unheard of for a team to use one of their quarterbacks as a kickoff returner. Needless to say, these comments led to a lot of reactions on social media as a result..
Running Back allegations only getting stronger https://t.co/SYOL0nGhcA
— Magneto was right🧲 (@Ferd_Turgeson) May 2, 2024
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say Justin Fields will not be returning a kickoff this season https://t.co/hKWDGNFLLG
— Brian Batko (@BrianBatko) May 2, 2024
My skin is crawling https://t.co/H5jkmS4nsD
— Buckeye Fett™ (@BuckeyeFett) May 2, 2024
JUSTIN TIME TO RETURN SOME KICKS @Jerrythekid21 you’re gonna hate this guy https://t.co/A4WQmkL9Bi
— MikeyBets (@RealMikeyBets) May 2, 2024
Me in NCAA 06 trying to get my QB the Heisman https://t.co/QcyG4czzdV
— Conor Duffy (@CDuff3346) May 2, 2024
Danny Smith is a wild boy https://t.co/yPwXxpDSxX
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 2, 2024
While most quarterbacks would not be able to fill this role, Fields is quite a unique player. Though he plays quarterback, Fields is undeniably one of the more athletic players in the NFL regardless of position. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds at Ohio State’s Pro Day coming out of college and is built more like a running back than he is a typical quarterback.
We’ll have to see whether or not the Steelers actually choose to use him in this way.
