Justin Fields, kick returner?
As unlikely as that sounds — and may prove to be — the idea has at least been floated in Pittsburgh, where the Bears sent the quarterback in a trade March 16.
On the “Not Just Football” podcast hosted by Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward last week, running back Jaylen Warren said special-teams coordinator Danny Smith showed an interest in putting Fields deep for kickoffs.
“Our special-teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there,” Warren said.
The interest stems from the NFL’s new kickoff rule, which has been designed to promote long returns, discourage touchbacks and minimize full-sprint contact between blockers and tacklers.
#Steelers RB Jaylen Warren says their special teams coordinator discussed the possibility of having Justin Fields return kicks under the new kickoff rules.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 2, 2024
(via @NotJustFootball)pic.twitter.com/N4WGMwETxV
The new kickoff format still will feature a kicker booting the ball from his 35. The other 10 members of the coverage team will line up at the opposing 40. At least nine members of the return team will stand between five and 10 yards away in a “setup zone.” Returners will stand behind them.
Fields was a more dynamic runner than he was a passer in his three years with the Bears. He finished the 2022 season with 1,143 rushing yards, the second-most of any quarterback in a single season. He would have had a chance to surpass Lamar Jackson’s record of 1,206, set in 2019, had he not missed the finale with what the Bears said was a hip injury.
Putting a second-string quarterback as a kick returner — and exposing him to injury — would be unconventional. It’s unclear whether it would be costly in terms of draft compensation — the Steelers have to give the Bears a fourth-round pick in 2025 if Fields plays more than half of the team’s offensive snaps and a sixth-round pick if he falls short.
