Justin Fields Play Package Teased by Steelers' Tomlin After Russell Wilson Named QB1

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson may be starting Week 1, but head coach Mike Tomlin hinted Wednesday that backup Justin Fields might also see playing time against the Atlanta Falcons.

"My friend Raheem Morris better be ready for a Justin Fields package... there's too much talent to be sitting around watching," Tomlin said, per the NFL Network's Rich Eisen.

The Steelers announced earlier Wednesday that Wilson would enter the 2024 season as QB1 after the veteran split first-team reps with Fields during training camp.

"Just getting to know Justin's capabilities, we like it," Tomlin told reporters Wednesday (h/t Yardbarker's Aaron Becker). "I know you guys might have some questions about the potential of package football, given his skill set, and that's certainly on the table.

"But I'm not going to get into many details regarding that, or things of that nature, because it doesn't help us from a competitive advantage standpoint. But make no mistake, his talent, his unique talent, as it pertains to mobility, is something that we're open to weaponizing, although I have acknowledged that Russ is QB1."

Tomlin went on to further praise Fields' athleticism.

"I've seen the highlights and things of that nature, but being an AFC coach, you don't always get a chance to feel it or really pay attention to it," Tomlin said, per Steelers.com's Dale Lolley. "To see some of the things he's capable of doing on the football field is really exciting."

Because Fields totaled 657 rushing yards for the Chicago Bears last season, second among NFL quarterbacks only to the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson, Tomlin and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith could take advantage of Fields' ability to run the ball in their play packages.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said in June on SportsCenter that he had "talked to multiple teams now who expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to get a little weird at the goal line with Justin Fields, maybe have a package or two for him ready to go where he can be a runner or a thrower out of the shotgun."

Fowler noted that Smith had used running back Derrick Henry in a similar capacity during his tenure with the Tennessee Titans.

Wilson, who is heading into his 13th NFL season as a starting quarterback and his first since being released by the Denver Broncos last spring, told reporters he wouldn't have a problem with Fields getting some playing time.

"Whatever it takes to find another touchdown in there," Wilson said, per Lolley. "It's always a good thing. The goal is to help the Pittsburgh Steelers win in a seventh trophy. That's the reality, and we got to do the work."

Wilson and Fields could both make their regular-season Steelers debuts when their Week 1 matchup kicks off in Atlanta on Sept. 8 at 1 p.m. ET.