When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for former Chicago Bears starting quarterback Justin Fields, most expected that he would have a chance to compete with Russell Wilson for the team’s starting quarterback spot. But it sounds like the team might actually have a much more surprising role for Fields: kickoff returner.
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.”
While it’s certainly shocking for a team to decide to use a quarterback as a kick returner, Fields might be an exception as he is undeniably one of the more athletic players in the league, regardless of position. He is built more like a running back than he is a typical quarterback and has blazing speed.
We’ll have to see whether or not the Steelers actually use Fields in this way.
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