In his first season as Ohio State's starting quarterback, C.J. Stroud often received criticism from fans regarding how little he utilized his running ability during games.
After Stroud helped lead Ohio State to a 26-17 victory over Nebraska on Nov. 6, 2021, he was asked in the postgame press conference if he thought he should run the ball more in the offense.
"If my job was to run the ball, I'd be a running back or something," Stroud said in response.
Stroud's predecessor at Ohio State, Justin Fields, certainly never shied away from creating plays with his legs, especially in his second pro season with the Chicago Bears. Fields ran for 1,143 yards last season, the second-most ever by a quarterback behind Lamar Jackson's 1,206-yard season in 2019, with a league-high 7.1 yards per carry. He set a new NFL single-game record for most rushing yards by a quarterback with 178 yards in a Nov. 6 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Yet, Fields has come under fire from critics regarding his passing ability, as he completed 60.4 percent of his passes en route to throwing for 2,242 yards with 17 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. His completion percentage and yardage totals rank near the bottom of the league among NFL starting quarterbacks. On Friday, Stroud was a staunch defender of his former teammate while meeting reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine and used a familiar phrase while advocating for him.
"He ain't no damn running back," Stroud said of Fields. "He's a quarterback, and he can sling that rock. I'm going to stand up for my brother every time, and he's going to do great things in his career."
Stroud, who was Fields' backup at Ohio State in 2020, still communicates with his former teammate, as Fields texted Stroud on Thursday ahead of the combine. The two-time Heisman finalist lauded Fields' accomplishments in his second year as a pro.
"I was proud of him," Stroud said regarding Fields' season. "There's so many times you get knocked back down, but I feel like a true man's character is when you get up. He's gotten up every time, stepped up to the plate and hasn't pointed any fingers. That just shows you what type of man he is."
While at the combine, players typically attempt to sell themselves to all 32 NFL franchises. But Stroud is content if the Bears don't take him at No. 1 overall, as the California native wants to establish his own legacy.
"That's (Justin's) team," Stroud said of the Bears.
While Stroud would prefer not to infringe on Fields' territory and be picked by the Bears, another of Fields' former teammates would relish reuniting with the former Buckeye signal caller in Chicago.
Fields has openly campaigned for the Bears to acquire Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba, saying in an interview with Bleacher Report he'd "no doubt" love it if Chicago drafted his former college wideout. Smith-Njigba had a breakout junior campaign where he had more receiving yards (1,606 total) than former teammates and 1,000-yard rookie NFL wideouts Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson before suffering an injury-plagued 2022 campaign.
The desire to team up again in the NFL is mutual on Smith-Njigba's end, who was touched by Fields advocating for him.
"Since he’s been in Chicago, we’ve always talked about it," Smith-Njigba said Friday during his combine interviews. "Him being like a big brother to me, I definitely appreciate it, coming from a guy like that."
As it stands, there doesn't seem to be a path for the tandem to reunite, considering the Bears own the No. 1 overall pick and don't pick again until late in the second round, and Smith-Njigba projects as a mid to late first-round pick. But it's common knowledge the Bears are shopping the first overall pick and could potentially earn a package that could help them land Smith-Njigba if they so choose.
"Just being at practice with him, making plays," Smith-Njigba said of why he has a great connection with Fields. "Getting open in practice for him and catching the ball and just doing what I do. And him doing what he does. I feel like we definitely have a little connection back in the day, but hopefully, we can maybe do it again.
"He’s whatever you need him to be. He’s a great passer. He has a great arm, great eyes, great vision, reads the defense very well."
Like Stroud, Smith-Njigba also came to Fields' defense from critics.
"I wouldn’t think they’re very smart," Smith-Njigba said when asked his thoughts on the perception Fields is a running back playing quarterback. "I would think they should do some more research, more film-watching, more something. Do something different."
