Steelers film room: Justin Fields using mobility to his advantage; accuracy needs improvement

PITTSBURGH — Sunday afternoon in Denver, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields felt the pocket collapsing and took off.

As he scrambled to his right, Fields saw George Pickens running free along the right sideline. On the run and off of one foot, the QB uncorked a dart that traveled 40 yards in the air and landed right on the money into the hands of Pickens for a 51-yard gain.

The play was one of the best throws you’ll see this season. Just one problem: A holding call on Broderick Jones negated what was easily Fields’ best pass as a Steeler.

In some ways, that moment is a microcosm of Fields’ career. Flashes of elite athleticism and excellent arm talent made Fields the No. 11 pick for the Chicago Bears in 2021. However, through his first three years in Chicago, he was unable to produce plays like this consistently enough to prove he should be the future of the franchise. Time will tell if the Steelers will get the most out of the 25-year-old quarterback and help him to realize his outsized potential.

Through two games, the strategy for managing and developing Fields has been clear. The Steelers have run the ball more than any team this season (77 times), as new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith hasn’t asked Fields to single-handedly win games. Instead, there has been a bit of a conservative approach. Fields has thrown the ball less often and shorter than at any point in his career, as he’s dropped back a career-low 28 times per game and has the fewest air yards per attempt (6.3 air yards) in his career. Most of those have been low-risk throws, as he’s also attempted a whopping 72.1 percent of his throws outside the numbers, which is significantly higher than his career average of 53.2, according to TruMedia.

As a result, Fields has also completed a career-best 69.8 percent of his passes and has the best passer rating (94.4) of his career. He’s also not turned the ball over, just the fourth time in his career he has done so in back-to-back games. That’s been enough for Fields to manage a run-heavy attack and get the Steelers to 2-0.

“There’s a lot of positives,” Smith said. “We haven’t had to pick the ball up a ton. A lot of that’s a credit to the way that Mike (Tomlin) sets the table and the way we’re built right now. … He’s playing very smart football, understanding the plan, understanding that attack, what we’re trying to accomplish.”

Coach Mike Tomlin has praised Fields for his “clear eyes” in game and “steady Eddy” approach. As Fields has grown into this role, Tomlin said he’s challenged Fields to use his voice to lead the offense.

“I told him to challenge his unit in terms of cleaning up their play so we can get out of the stadium and end the game,” Tomlin said. “I asked him to do it in his own voice and words.”

While countless high-round quarterbacks have flamed out in the league, there are quarterbacks like Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield who have revived their careers in new settings. Let’s dive into the film and the numbers to look at what Fields has done well and where he needs to improve to become another passer in this mold.

Prudent use of mobility

Fields’ electric mobility has always been one of his standout traits, dating to the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine when he posted a 4.44 40-yard dash, the fourth-fastest recorded by a quarterback, behind only Michael Vick (4.33 seconds), Reggie McBeal (4.40) and Robert Griffin III (4.41). Since Fields came into the league, he has 2,304 rushing yards. Among NFL QBs over that span, only Lamar Jackson has more rushing yards (2,519).

This season, he’s leaned on his legs more than ever, averaging a career-high 11 carries per game.

According to TruMedia, he scrambled on 12.6 percent of dropbacks while in Chicago. That number is up to 16.1 percent this year. The Bears had plenty of designed running plays for Fields. Through his first three seasons, Fields’ designed rush rate was 12.3 percent. That’s increased under Smith to 16.1 percent through two games.

When Tomlin describes quarterbacks, he likes to use the phrase “prudent use of mobility.” In many instances, Fields has used his elite athleticism to escape pressure or buy himself time. For the most part, he’s found the right balance of knowing when to sit in the pocket and when to take off.

He’s used his legs to get out of tough situations, like in the play below. The Denver Broncos, who blitz on a league-high 57.4 percent of dropbacks, brought a six-man pressure, one more than the Steelers’ five-man offensive line could handle. Fields identifies Broncos edge Jonathon Cooper coming free, scrambles and accelerates out of harm’s way.

In this second frame, Fields gets away from Cooper, a standout edge rusher for the Broncos who had two sacks in Week 1.

One of the biggest knocks on Fields in Chicago was he took too many sacks. He was tied for the league lead in 2022 with 55 sacks taken and averaged 3.38 sacks per game over his three years in Chicago. So far in Pittsburgh, that number is down to a more manageable two sacks per game, in part because of plays like this one.

Mobility opens up the playbook

In an offense that wants to rely on 3 yards and a cloud of dust, it makes sense to put the ball in your most dynamic runner’s hands by design. Smith has installed plays and concepts to feature his quarterback as a runner, including plenty of read-option, bootlegs and even a spread triple option the team showed in the preseason.

“(We’re) just making the defense play defense on all 11 guys, just with the ability that I had to utilize my legs and run the football,” Fields said. “I think that just stretches them out more. So I think we did a good job of making them guard that and making them think about me, while also just executing the passing game.”

This play is a great design and came in a critical moment against the Atlanta Falcons, with the game in the balance. Smith chose to keep the ball in his QB’s hands with a quarterback counter. The Steelers motioned running back Cordarrelle Patterson out wide and a DB followed, signaling man coverage. Pulling guard Spencer Anderson does his job and the wrapper, Connor Heyward, opens the hole for Fields to pick up the first down.

Here’s the second frame from this play. As you can see, Heyward and Anderson open the hole and Fields finishes with authority to pick up the critical first down.

Fields’ athleticism puts the defense in a bind

This play is another example of a good design to showcase Fields’ legs. The Steelers are in 14 personnel (one running back and four tight ends). That forces Atlanta to put their base defense on the field with seven defenders in the box. Normally, it would be challenging to run into this heavy box. However, the Steelers motion all the tight ends and backs out wide to manufacture a lighter box.

In this second frame, you can see that the Falcons went from a five-man front with seven in the box to just a three-man front. That allows Jones and James Daniels to work a double-team and Zach Frazier and Anderson work another. Fields hits the hole hard for a nice gain.

These are plays you cannot run with Russell Wilson in the game, especially with his calf injury lingering. The Steelers should continue to design plays that allow Fields to be a difference-maker on the ground.

Throwing on the run

Smith has tapped into Fields’ mobility in the passing game as well by dialing up bootlegs. This play helped set the stage for the Steelers’ lone touchdown of the season. Tight end Pat Freiermuth runs a crossing route and gets lost in Denver’s zone coverage. By rolling the QB out of the pocket, Fields has time to survey to let the play develop and find the wide-open tight end. He’s done a nice job of throwing accurately on the move.

The Steelers have also been thoughtful about moving the launch point. The best example came at the end of the first half against the Falcons. Fields holds the safeties by looking to his left before flipping his hips and throwing with anticipation for Pickens as he’s coming out of his break.

Fields to Pickens to set up a FG attempt with 3 seconds left in the half 🔥

📺: #PITvsATL on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/RVFrcG3Nl0

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

“I just felt the defensive end kind of rush upfield a lot, so I kind of stopped in my tracks and then looked backside,” Fields said. “They were playing Cover 2 on the backside, and George had leverage on the corner route, on the deep ‘V’ route, and put it out there and he made a great play.”

The Pickens connection

Fields has exceptional arm talent. The Steelers have showcased that with numerous well-timed deep shots. This skill set marries well with what Smith did during his most productive stretch as a play caller in Tennessee in 2019 and 2020. In 2019, Ryan Tannehill led the league with 0.56 completions per game on passes that traveled 40-plus yards in the air and was eighth the following season (0.44).

Fields’ big arm and Pickens’ catch radius has already added an explosive element to the offense, something that can be explored even more.

“He’s made some big-time throws down the field,” Smith said. “Some of those were called back. And even the DPIs, I thought the deep ball accuracy was pretty damn good.”

Fields to Pickens. Now that’s a connection.@steelers | @FedEx pic.twitter.com/7CqYA98PZY

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

Of Fields’ 273 passing yards, Pickens has accounted for more than a third (104). The QB’s process when going deep is better than the stats would suggest, as the Steelers twice in the Denver game picked up big gains on defensive pass interference, in addition to the aforementioned throw to Pickens that was called back.

“I’ll take (Pickens) versus anybody, to be honest with you,” Fields said. “I mean, he’s that good of receiver and that good of a player.”

Throwing with anticipation from the pocket needs to improve

In college, quarterbacks can see the receiver open and hit him. In the NFL, where the game is faster and windows are tighter, quarterbacks have to throw with accuracy and anticipation from the pocket. That’s the biggest area where Fields can improve.

First, here’s arguably Fields’ best pass through two games. Here he does a nice job of standing tall in the pocket, throwing over the middle of the field to hit Pickens right as he’s coming out of his break.

“What’s been encouraging to me is his pocket presence,” Smith said. “He’s been standing in there when the pockets gets dirty and they bring a lot of heat.”

While the throw to Pickens was a nice example of throwing with anticipation, there are numerous examples where he doesn’t let it rip when he has opportunities. Here Freiermuth is open if Fields throws the ball as the tight end is coming out of his break. However, he hesitates and then throws an inaccurate checkdown to Najee Harris that was dropped.

Similar to the last play, Fields again might have Freiermuth open if he anticipates and throws the ball on time. However, he instead scrambles for the first down. It was still a nice, positive play. And the throw itself would have been a tough into a tight window. But if Fields is going to develop into a franchise passer, these are the type of plays he has to make.

Throwing into tight windows has been a challenge for Fields in his career. According to TruMedia (via the NFL’s Next Gen Stats), Fields has completed just 28.8 percent of his passes when a defender is within one yard of the intended receiver. That ranks 36th among QBs over his four years in the league.

Ball placement and accuracy can improve

While Fields has been on the money with his deep ball, his accuracy has still been spotty at times. The QB himself pinpointed checkdowns as an area that needs to improve.

“I think there’s a bunch of stuff to clean up,” Fields said after the first game. “Me just being more accurate on my checkdowns so guys like Najee and Jaylen can catch the ball and get busy downfield and do what they do best.”

Here’s a good example from the first drive of the season. Harris is open with lots of green grass in front of him. The ball needs to be on Harris’ front shoulder so he can catch and run. Instead, it’s behind him for an incompletion. In Week 2 against Denver, Fields also had an inaccurate pass on a checkdown to Harris. It’s worth noting he put the ball on target for Warren later in the game against the Broncos, leading to a first down.

Fields has largely done what the Steelers have asked. He’s used his legs to his advantage, completed a high rate of short passes and showed off his big arm. As Wilson’s calf injury lingers it will be interesting to see how many more chances Fields gets and what he can do with the opportunities.

“He’s a young player in this league,” Smith said. “He’s barely older than some of these rookies have been drafted.  So I’ve been very encouraged. He’s awesome to work with.”

(Top photo of Justin Fields: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images;
screenshots via NFL+)