Steelers have another terrible Justin Fields idea thanks to Arthur Smith

When Justin Fields told Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles that he'd like to be traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it's doubtful that he knew that he'd become the NFL's most famous guinea pig.

Fields has said that he is competing with fellow Steel City newcomer Russell Wilson for the starting quarterback job, but you wouldn't know it based on every other headline that's come out of Pittsburgh in recent weeks. First there was talk that Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith planned on experimenting with Fields as a kickoff returner in light of the NFL's new kickoff rule that aims to minimize touchbacks.

Now, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says that new offensive coordinator and bane of fantasy football players everywhere Arthur Smith is getting ideas in his head to use Fields in a goal-line role that is similar to the one he gave Derrick Henry while he was the OC of the Tennessee Titans.

This idea makes about as much sense as trying to beat Troy Polamalu in a hair contest, which is definitely a real thing and not something that I just made up. Henry, of course, is a running back, one of the best in the NFL during his eight-year career. Justin Fields is a quarterback, and though the Steelers got him from the Bears for practically nothing (a 2025 sixth-round pick that could become a fourth if Fields plays enough snaps), they're doing him and the team a disservice by jerking him around like this.

Why Russell Wilson seems to have been anointed the starter despite being 10 years Fields' senior is baffling. Wilson hasn't looked good in more than three years, and Sean Payton was so anxious to get rid of him in Denver that he benched him in favor of Jarrett Stidham as the Broncos were in the midst of a playoff race.

The Steelers are out-thinking themselves when it comes to Justin Fields

Fields is far from a sure-thing at quarterback, but he improved last year and would almost certainly still be Chicago's quarterback if the Bears weren't gifted the first-overall pick and the chance to draft Caleb Williams by the Panthers. He's still a much more exciting option than Kenny Pickett, who the Steelers jettisoned to Philadelphia, and Wilson, whose best days are well behind him.

Derrick Henry is the most physically imposing running back of the last decade. His highlight reel includes him stiff-arming and truck-sticking some of the best athletes in the world as if they're small children and he's Blooper, the over-enthusiastic mascot of the Atlanta Braves. Justin Fields has some highlights of his own, but he's not going to last if Arthur Smith tries to turn him into his former Titans bell cow, and he's certainly not going to be able to step in when Wilson inevitably falters and the fans turn on him.

The NFL has shown throughout its history that having a two-QB system doesn't work. The only remotely effective usage of a quarterback as a short-yardage option that I can think of is Taysom Hill with the Saints, but Fields and Hill are very different players, and Hill was never a serious quarterback option with Drew Brees, Jameis Winston, and Derek Carr ahead of him on the depth chart.

Pittsburgh's offense has been one of the worst and most boring in the league for years, so if you're Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith, the choice should be clear. Russell Wilson is at the tail end of his career and has nowhere to go but down. Justin Fields could be your franchise quarterback for years to come if you'd quit messing around with bad ideas and give him a shot to show what he can do.