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Justin Fields is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Fields is certainly one of the more athletic quarterbacks in the NFL. In fact, there were recently some rumors going around that Fields could be taking kick returns back next year. There are new kickoff rules in the NFL that should help eliminate hard collisions, but Fields clarified recently that things were misinterpreted and that he is not actually going to be returning kicks.
With the new kickoff rules, the kicking team (besides the kicker) will start much closer to the returner, and they aren't allowed to start pursuing until the ball is caught. This should help with some of those hard collisions that happen on kickoffs, and Steelers running back Jaylen Warren mentioned recently that the Pittsburgh special teams coordinator had talked about Justin Fields returning kicks.
“I mean I would (return kicks), I think it's pretty cool,” Jaylen Warren said during an appearance on Not Just Football. “As soon as you touch the ball, that's when everything starts to happen. Our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there. We're like ‘hold up, hold up.' We looked at him like, Justin Fields is about to be back there? And I don't know, I think it's cool.”
Fields was asked about that recently as it came as a big surprise to most people. You don't want a QB getting hurt, so putting him on kickoff duty would not be smart. Fields cleared the air and noted that it was all a misunderstanding.
“Nah, I think everybody kind of interpreted it wrong,” Fields said, according to an article from USA Today. “Coach Danny was basically just trying to send a message that no matter who you are, you could be on special teams. He just used that as an example. … It's funny how serious social media takes everything. It was kind of funny to me when everybody was making a big deal about it for no reason.”
Still, Fields continued to joke around about the potential move with a reporter.
“Hey, you never know,” Fields told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He might cook something up. We'll see what happens.”
Really?
“Nah, I'm not here to do that,” Fields said. “It was kind of a joke, to be honest with you.”
Justin Fields is in a QB battle with Russell Wilson
Justin Fields isn't the only QB that the Steelers picked up this offseason. Russell Wilson is also coming to Pittsburgh, and most people are expecting Wilson to end up winning the starting job. Still, it's a battle.
“I'm taking it day by day,” Fields said, according to an article from ESPN. “I'm definitely competing. I think [Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson] knows that we're competing against each other every day. Him being out there for me, that helps me getting better, especially each other. I definitely don't have the mindset of me just sitting all year. I'm coming in every day giving it all I got and pushing him to be his best, and he's pushing me to be my best each and every day.”
Russell Wilson was one of the best QBs in the NFL when he played for the Seattle Seahawks, so when he moved to the Denver Broncos, people expected them to be great. Who knows why, but Wilson just hasn't been the same since he left Seattle. He struggled in Denver, and things just never worked out for him there. Now, he is with the Steelers.
Both Fields and Wilson are coming to Pittsburgh in similar positions. They were both expected to be great with their previous team, and they failed to meet expectations. Now, they are coming to Pittsburgh with something to prove. It's going to be interesting to see who ends up winning that QB battle.
Fields might not end up being the starting QB for the Steelers next season, but Pittsburgh fans are still likely relieved to hear that he will not be returning kicks next year. That certainly would have been bizarre to see.
