NEWSLETTER
The Pittsburgh Steelers come to mind as a possible Justin Fields trade destination should the Chicago Bears decide to move on from the rising fourth-year quarterback.
And once the Steelers make the addition of Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator under Head Coach Mike Tomlin officially official, I imagine those whispers might pop up again with NFL Network insider Tom Pelisisero reporting on Pittsburgh’s new OC:
Some might look at Arthur Smith’s résumé from his time as Atlanta Falcons head coach and be turned off by Pittsburgh’s hire. And to an extent, I understand. What Smith did with the Falcons offense despite rostering several high-upside offensive skill-position players was grounds for termination. Hence, Atlanta and Smith parted ways at the beginning of the hiring cycle.
Sometimes, good offensive coordinators don’t turn into good head coaches. Smith was a good offensive coordinator when he was running the show for the Tennessee Titans. Perhaps he could find his niche again in a return to that role with the Steelers. And maybe targeting Bears quarterback Justin Fields in a trade is something that would help rebuild Arthur Smith’s coaching stock. It’s not like he didn’t just have a good look at Fields just last month.
Does Justin Fields make sense for Arthur Smith and the Steelers?
To be clear, the Pittsburgh Steelers have *NOT* been directly connected to Justin Fields in trade rumors. Heck, we don’t even know if Justin Fields is for sure on the trade block. We’re so early in the offseason. But it is never too early to start laying out potential scenarios. At a minimum, being prepared for anything (after Bears GM Ryan Poles said he is open to anything) feels like the right thing to do.
The Arthur Smith-Justin Fields connection was a point of discussion in late December. And it really picked up ahead of the Bears-Falcons head-to-head matchup on New Year’s Eve.
Smith had plenty of praise for Fields back in December:
“The thing that I think makes Justin so unique is he’s such a powerful runner once he gets going,” Smith said, via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall. “Even when they get pressure, guys have a hard time bringing him down. When he gets out of it, if you’re not strong and don’t use fundamentals or you don’t have rush integrity, when he takes off, especially when the defense has their back turned, those are damn near home runs once he gets going because he’s a powerful runner.”
“In the history of this league, (a quarterback) being in the right place with the right chemistry of guys and the right staff, timing, that can impact guys’ careers. If a guy can extend plays, he’s a dynamic player. They’re winning games because they can extend drives; they chew up the clock. Some of it is traditional zone read. Some of it is direct quarterback pin-pull plays. However you want to categorize those, you’re just running it to get an extra hat out there in the run game. They do a really damn good job of it. They’ve done it for two years in a row. They’ve found a formula.”
I don’t want to read too much into Smith’s kind words about Fields. But I can see where this quote is perceived to be one where a coach is talking about a quarterback he’d like to have on his roster. It certainly has me thinking about Arthur Smith’s offense as a fit for where Justin Fields could thrive upon arrival. Think about what Smith’s offense did at the peak of its powers with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, running back Derrick Henry, and wide receiver A.J. Brown. It wouldn’t be a 1-for-1 comp, but I can see that type of scheme working with Fields, running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, and wide receivers such as Diontae Johnson and George Pickens.
Fields won’t be the only quarterback option for the Steelers this offseason. But after starting Mason Rudolph in a playoff game, it is hard to imagine Pittsburgh settling to run it back in 2024. And if the Steelers put out some feelers on free agents or don’t love the quarterbacks that will be available to them early in the draft, it would make sense if the Bears were on speed dial. So, while that previous trade with Pittsburgh didn’t work out, perhaps the two sides can talk shop again this offseason.
