Why Justin Fields can work in Pittsburgh
Justin Fields is undoubtedly one of the most special athletes at the quarterback position in the NFL today. His combination of arm strength and ability to break off a massive run on any given play and makes him one of the best weapons in the league, and one the Steelers should find some way to take advantage of in 2024.
A few weeks ago, I took a deep dive into Russell Wilson and why he can succeed in Pittsburgh, and today I’ll be doing the same for Justin Fields. So strap in, here is why Justin Fields can find success with the Steelers.
Running ability
We’ll knock this out to start because you can’t talk about Fields without talking about his ability to run.
Over the last two seasons, he’s had 108 runs for first downs, which is third only to Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts, the latter of which got the vast majority of his by having his butt pushed for a yard. In 2022, he was second in the NFL in rushes of 20 or more yards with 10 – tied with Derrick Henry and second only to Nick Chubb.
That season, he had touchdown runs of 67, 61, and 56 yards. He is the definition of dual-threat, but not just because of his legs:
Deep ball passing
Justin Fields has a cannon. It’s his best attribute when it comes to the passing game – he can chuck it. Of all quarterbacks with at least 20 pass attempts of 20+ air yards, Fields was 10th in catchable pass percentage, per Sports Info Solutions. He was also seventh in passer rating of passes 20+ yards downfield (112.1), and fifth in touchdown percentage (14%).
Field was also seventh in IQR (Independent Quarterback Rating) of passes 20+ yards downfield (103.8), and was PFF’s fourth-highest graded passer on 20+ yard throws behind only Brock Purdy, C.J. Stroud, and Matthew Stafford.
The best deep ball passers last season pic.twitter.com/0nGGf3zrfK
— PFF (@PFF) June 16, 2024
Fields has a cannon, and in an offense that will utilize the deep ball regularly, that will come in handy.
Throwing under pressure
Fields was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL when facing pressure. Of all 47 quarterbacks who had at least 30 pass attempts against pressure, Fields was fourth in catchable pass percentage and third in on-target percentage. He also had a higher passer rating under pressure than Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert, and C.J. Stroud, and his touchdown percentage was tied for ninth in the NFL with Jalen Hurts.
Most quarterbacks see their numbers dip when they are throwing on the move – Fields did not. He led the NFL in catchable pass percentage while throwing on the move (min. 30 attempts). His 97.6 catchable pass percentage was over a percentage point higher than second place Joe Burrow. And when you add air yards into the equation, Fields was the only quarterback in the NFL with a perfect 100 percent catchable pass percentage, throwing a catchable ball on all 12 of his passes on the move that were 15 or more yards downfield. Fields’ on-target percentage also led the NFL in that same category.
On broken plays, Fields was also terrific. He was second in catchable pass percentage (min. 15 attempts), and 20 percent of his passes off broken plays went for touchdowns, which was second in the NFL only to Joe Burrow.
When things break down around Fields, he makes the most of it. And sure, does he try to do too much at times and take too many sacks? Yes. You know who else did that, though? A guy who wore No. 7 and won two Super Bowls.
Fields’ ability to make chicken salad out of chicken -you-know-what, combined with his rushing ability makes him a very good fit for what Arthur Smith wants to do. If and when his number is called upon, he will thrive.