The case for more Justin Fields: Steelers have a fever, and the only prescription is more Fields

Justin Fields has seen the field for 407 out of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense's 890 snaps this season. However, the percentage of total plays he's been on the field for has been dwindling since Russell Wilson regained his grip on the starting job in Week 7. Since then, Arther Smith and Mike Tomlin have been trying to prescribe the right dosage of Fields to the offense.

Originally, Fields was thought to be a cure for their red zone woes. After a crushing loss against the Cleveland Browns in Week 12, where Justin Fields was heavily featured in sub-packages all over the field, Tomlin was questioned for taking the ball out of Wilson’s hands in situations where the 36-year-old flourishes. In Week 13, Fields only played two snaps, including an appearance as the humans victory cigar on a designed run. However, by Week 14’s Browns rematch, Fields’ cameos had evaporated completely.

Fields’ diminishing presence from the Week 14 gameplan could be a smokescreen, or Mike Tomlin deciding after Week 12 to entrust Russell Wilson on critical downs without interrupting his flow while they reconfigure Fields’ situational usefulness. It’s a difficult tightrope Tomlin has been walking with aplomb all season. However, there are several ways to deploy Fields’ within the confines of the offense and in ways Wilson cannot.

Pittsburgh’s fourth-down packages could use a boost

Just in time for the Philadelphia Eagles, Mike Tomlin should fight fire with fire and take the action to Philly’s defense on fourth downs. Philadelphia’s trademark Tush Push benefits from Fields’ unique lower-body strength, ability to move a pile, and the league’s heaviest offensive line. In 2022, they were successful on 29/32 sneaks.

Meanwhile, early in the season, Pro Football Focus named Pittsburgh the NFL’s safest team on fourth down. While teams like the Lions and Eagles have made their bones going for the jugular in sort-yardage situations at a prolific rate, Pittsburgh predictably takes the points, avoiding turnovers at all costs. Against bloodthirsty competition, they’ll need to sharpen their swords on fourth downs. 

As expected, quarterback sneaks are successful approximately 80 percent of the time on fourth-and-1. According to a Yale analytics study completed in 2016, fourth-and-2 sneaks also have a success rate of 90 percent since the 98-99 season. Fields is a dice the Steelers need to be rolling out there more often.

In Week 12, the Steelers dusted off a jumbo formation with Fields on a critical fourth down in Week 12, but the attempt was stuffed for a two-yard loss because of confusion before the snap. It’s nothing a little coaching can’t patch up, but it’s better to iron out those wrinkles before they get to the postseason. Thus far, Fields’ packages have been designed to take advantage of his speed in open space rather than plowing him through rugby scrums down in the trenches, but with the right personnel, he’s a multi-purpose hammer to the nail on short-yardage downs. 

The value of Justin Fields is that he’s a low-risk and high-reward proposition

One of the primary justifications most teams use for not running their version of the Tush Push is due to the risk of injury. During the 2019 season, Patrick Mahomes twisted his ankle on a sneak against Denver. As the younger Tayson-Hi11 2.0 model, Fields absorbs the poundings for a risk-averse coaching staff. 

However, Wilson should never be taken off the field on 3rd-and-three or longer. Tomlin erred in deploying Fields by taking Wilson off the field on crucial downs where the passing attack had to pick up yards.  On third downs, Wilson is 41-of-68 for 675 yards, five touchdowns, and three picks. He’s also gaining 9.9 yards per attempt, the highest in the league. It's in short yardage and the red zone where the field shrinks where he falters.

In tight games, Fields nearly closed out the Steelers' win over the Ravens with a nine-yard gain on a designed quarterback run but tumbled a yard short after Fields slid short of the first down marker. Against Cleveland, Fields scurried around the edge to gain 30 yards on a designed run that sparked the Steelers' comeback.

The Steelers offense could use some unpredictability

In moderation, Fields and Wilson are a double shot of expresso. Offensively, Pittsburgh’s playcalling can be a little more vanilla than most Super Bowl-contending peers. Establishing the run, play-action, and deep shots to George Pickens are the foundation they’ve built their identities on. If the Steelers anticipate reaching their lofty playoff objectives, it’s imperative that they put their most dynamic playmaker in positions to succeed.

Najee Harris is the angriest ballcarrier not named Derrick Henry, but his efficacy from the backfield has been inconsistent. The ground game has been dormant for weeks, and Harris is battered in the backfield too often to be relied upon on fourth downs, but Fields could be a middle ground that injects the offense with an adrenaline rush in do-or-die situations.