With criticism of Pressley Harvin III's inconsistency recently, the Pittsburgh Steelers claimed a veteran punter off of waivers to compete with him. The Steelers have added Braden Mann to the roster and will take his $1.01 million cap hit for 2023. Mann was waived by the New York Jets after Thomas Morstead decided to stay with the team. Mann has his own inconsistencies, and he will have to prove in training camp and preseason that he can be more consistent than the former 2021 seventh round draft pick.
SNY.tv
Braden Mann was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Braden Mann has a better YPA (yards per attempt) on punts than Harvin, with Mann averaging nearly 47 YPA as opposed to Harvin's 44.5. Mann also had more punts go inside the 20-yard line, with 32.5% going inside the red zone, as opposed to 29% for Harvin. However, Mann has more touchbacks than Harvin, with close to 10% of his punts going into the end zone, with Harvin only booting 7.2% into the end zone. All of these stats come from Pro Football Reference.
It is also worth noting that Mann had to punt more than Harvin in 2022, as the Jets offense was less efficient than the Steelers, especially with the quarterback carousel that the Jets were forced to use due to Zach Wilson's injury and ineffectiveness. When Joe Flacco, Mike White, and Chris Streveler are all rotating at quarterback to try and make up for the starter's failures, there will be problems. Meanwhile, once Kenny Pickett took over for Mitch Trubisky in Week 4, the quarterback situation was stable, with Trubisky only entering when Pickett got injured.
Braden Mann also did kickoffs for the Jets. With the injury history of Chris Boswell, Mann might take over kickoff duties if he gets the job. Many people in Steeler Nation remember when Harvin tried to do kickoffs after Boswell suffered a concussion, and it did not look good in the slightest. Mann's kicking ability could end up giving him the edge over Harvin, as long as his punting goes well.
USA Today
Chris Boswell practices kicks with Jordan Berry holding for him.
Harvin does have his own edge, however, as Boswell is very comfortable with him as his holder. While Braden Mann does have experience as a holder, he will have to spend time making sure Boswell is comfortable with him. Harvin could keep his job in Pittsburgh, especially with Boswell looking to rebound from a season full of injuries and his own inconsistencies. It would be much smoother for Boswell to keep kicking with who he's comfortable with than have a miscommunication, and that one probably wouldn't be as successful as the "Fire Drill."
Why can't the Steelers find consistent punting?
Back when the Steelers were debating between Jordan Berry and Dustin Colquitt, the Steelers' recent punting woes were made a bit clearer by Pat McAfee on his show. He said that while getting a higher drop leads to longer punts, it can also lead to more shanks than when you essentially kick it out of your hand, especially in bad weather conditions.
Acrisure Stadium is known for heavy crosswinds, and while people associate that with the kicking nightmare in Pittsburgh, it could also result in struggles with punting. If the Steelers could find a punter that prefers to drop it lower, maybe then they could get consistent punting, even if it means sacrificing power to prevent less shanks.
Don Wright / AP Photo
What do you think of the Steelers claiming Braden Mann off of waivers from the New York Jets? Let us know down in the comments.
#SteelerNation.
