The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of figuring out their quarterback situation for the 2025 season. Ever since the 2024 season ended, there has been a debate about whether or not Russell Wilson or Justin Fields will be brought back as the starter, and the organization seems to be leaning in favor of Fields. A deal has not been reached yet for Fields, but the two sides have been working on getting one done with free agency right around the corner. Fields has the ability to take the offense to another level thanks to his mobility and athleticism, which is something the franchise has likely been considering when making its decision.
The Steelers fan base got to see a glimpse of what Fields could do throughout the first six weeks of the 2024 season when he filled in for Wilson. The young quarterback led the team to a 4-2 record during that time, and he seemed like a much improved player since his time with the Chicago Bears. By no means did Fields look like one of the best passers in the league, but he took care of the football for the most part and showed some flashes with his legs.
Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel was on FS1's The Facility, where he explained what Pittsburgh needs to do to get the most out of Fields.
"If I'm Arthur Smith and I'm the offensive coordinator, I'm retooling the whole offense to fit Justin Fields. He has it," Daniel said. "Justin's X-factor is his legs. So I think that if you put him in an offense where you're not asking him to throw the ball more than 20, 25 times a game, if you can get a run game, which they need badly, like the Jalen Hurts-style offense where you can just do exactly what's needed."
Daniel is essentially saying that Pittsburgh can't ask too much of Fields in the passing game early-on. Allow the quarterback to get comfortable as a starter while also establishing the run game, and things should open up from there. This is something the Philadelphia Eagles have done really well with Jalen Hurts, and it is a big reason they represented the NFC in two of the last three Super Bowls.
It is important to note that the Eagles also have every piece needed in place to run an offense like Daniel was describing. Philadelphia rosters the best offensive line in the NFL, has two star wide receivers, an above-average tight end, and the elite Saquon Barkley in the backfield. The Steelers don't need all that luxury to be successful, but some improvements are definitely necessary.
To help Fields out, if he is in fact the starting quarterback in 2025, the Steelers will need another quality wide receiver to pair with George Pickens. The offensive line will also need to improve drastically in order to help the run game, and Pittsburgh will need to find a quality back in the 2025 NFL Draft with Najee Harris likely leaving in free agency.
With some slight personnel upgrades to the offense, and an appropriate offensive philosophy, there is no reason Fields won't be able to take a leap in 2025 as the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh.
Steelers Need To Adapt Offensively
The most successful offenses in the NFL are the ones with creative play-callers that can adapt on a week-to-week basis. This is something Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith and Head Coach Mike Tomlin must improve on ahead of the 2025 season. A lot of the times when Fields was in the game for a designed quarterback run, the play seemed obvious, and always lacked creativity. The quarterback's athleticism is endless, and the Steelers need to find offensive schemes to take advantage of that.
Hopefully a deal between Fields and the Steelers gets done soon; that way the organization can start game-planning a way to get the most out of Fields.
