The Justin Fields, New York Jets Blueprint to Success
The Jets have went out and signed a very athletic, talented young QB in Justin Fields. If utilized properly, he can be one of the most exciting players in the game. They have their QB, now have to build around him to bring great success to this team.
The Jets are bringing in Justin Fields to change the culture and he will be under the guidance of Tanner Engstrand. Engstrand comes from Detroit, where they ran an offense with numerous personnel groupings, a great pocket passer, and a very efficient run game. They used numerous condensed sets and had a really efficient run game with Ben Johnson.
FIELDS STRENGTHS
Outside of Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Jayden Daniels, there's not a more effective mobile quarterback in the NFL than Fields. In 2022, he rushed for over 1,000 yards in a single season and was very efficient in 2023. In 2024, he started 6 games and had 62 carries for 289 yards.
At only 26 years old, Fields is 15 years younger than Rodgers and significantly more of a threat in the run game and from a mobility standpoint. And while he’s not in Rodgers’ league as a passer, Fields has shown flashes of his potential while playing previously for the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively, with very little help at WR. It is hard to evaluate him without really having weapons in the pass game.
But, the biggest attribute is his running ability and this will play huge dividends in New York.
PITTSBURGH AND CHICAGO
But, the problem in Pittsburgh is they tried to make him a pro style QB and that’s not Fields game. His mobility is his strength and you must take advantage of it. The pass game was limited in Chicago with some of the concepts. He needs to be in the gun, running zone reads, or when under center, have a huge boot component as well as moving the pocket. In the passing game, incorporate some RPO’s and really emphasize the short to medium crossing concepts. I think more spread sets, spreading the field will help him in the pre snap assessment process.
Although it wasn’t exactly the best fit for Fields, he did have some success leading the Steelers to a 4-2 record in 6 starts. He is a competitor and in his 2 losses, they were both by 3 points to the Colts and Cowboys. Playing under Arthur Smith helped him with learning the passing game and developing him as a passer and that should only help with the Jets.
RUN SCHEMES
The Jets have been horrible running the ball the last few years:
2024: 31st in rushing 91 yards per game
2023: 22nd in rushing 96 yards per game
2022: 25th in rushing 99 yards per game
2021: 25th in rushing 98 yards per game
2020: 22nd in rushing 105 yards per game
2019: 31st in rushing 78 yards per game
You get the idea. Fields changes that with his athleticism and ability to force teams to account for him in the run game. This will be the biggest asset he brings to the Jets and will dramatically improve the overall run game. It will free up more for Allen and Hall as well as getting Garrett Wilson some 1x1 matchups on the perimeter.
Four Schemes you may see to take advantage of his athleticism as a runner:
Triple Option RPO
This is one of the staples in the Commanders system and Eagles system. It is a great way to utilize his skill set.
It’s simple as he has 2 reads:
He reads the DE or EMOL for a run read. What this does is open the zone run game and create space for the RB
If the De closes he pulls the football and has the option to run the football or throw it. This is a must for the Jets.
Here’s some clips o f the concepts:
Commanders Version
Traditional Zone Read
They will try to get him into some favorable situations and run some zone read.
QB Power and Pin and Pull Another great scheme that allows them to take care of angles because of his athletic ability
QB Trap off Jet Sweep
If the Jets can get creative, they can run some jet sweep schemes with a trap game off it.
QB Bash Counter and other Bash Concepts
You will see the Ravens and Eagles use this play. How deadly would it be with Fields at QB. It is a read play where the qb will read the DE for run. If he takes the RB, they will pull it and they have 2 blockers out in front.
Here’s another Bash concept you can use with Fields.
Create Angles in the run game and let him do his thing!
PASSING GAME
In the passing game, moving the pocket with boot and sprint concepts are essential. Here are a few examples as when you move him, he can make plays with his arm and his legs. You will see some traditional routes but expect some moving pockets with some screens mixed in as the primarily passes on 1st and 2nd down. Some examples from Pittsburgh and Chicago are below.
Example #1
Example #2
The Steelers sprint him out, get the defense to commit and throw the ball back to Pickens on the deep out.
Example #3 Steelers running boot
Expect to see some boot and other on the move concepts. A great way to give him some run pass options in the boot game.
Fields has all the intangibles and running ability to be a very dynamic QB in NY. I think fans will take to him for his competitive, fun style of play. I hope to see big things out of him in NY.