Could Justin Fields be both the Steelers’ No. 2 quarterback and their No. 2 kickoff returner? Steelers running back Jaylen Warren suggests he could.
The Steelers signed one of the NFL’s best return men, Cordarrelle Patterson, on the same day the NFL adopted the new kickoff rule, and it’s clear they expect Patterson to be their primary kickoff player. But the kickoff return teams will line up with two returners deep, and Fields could be the other.
When asked teammate Cam Heyward’s podcast As for whether he wants to return the kickoff, Warren said he would — and then revealed that Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith wants to give Fields a shot at returning the kickoff.
“I would, I think it’s pretty cool. As soon as you touch the ball, everything starts happening,” Warren said. “Our special teams coordinator was talking about Justin Fields being back there. . . . We looked at him like, Justin Fields is going to be there again? I think it’s cool.”
Warren said Fields may be the Steelers’ fastest player, and Fields has 2,220 rushing yards in his three-year NFL career, so he’s certainly capable of making plays with the ball in his hands. Fields wants to be a starting quarterback, and returning kickoffs won’t hurt his chances of ever becoming a starting quarterback, but if Russell Wilson starts and the returning kickoff is the only way for Fields to get on the field, he might can do. It. NFL teams will be thinking outside the box with the new kickoff rule, and Fields as the return man would certainly be thinking outside the box.