Most of the offseason talk surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers has been focused on awesome additions on both sides of the ball. After what seems to have been a great 2023 NFL Draft on paper, the team will now head into the next portion of the break.
Steelers Pressley Harvin III warms up on the field prior to a 2021 regular season matchup in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Despite struggles from kicker, Chris Boswell and punter, Pressley Harvin III in 2022, the two have not been talked about much throughout the first few months of 2023 other than the organization bringing in Braden Mann to potentially compete with Harvin. In terms of punting, the incumbent now has fierce competition in his third season.
Steelers Brass Not Hiding Lack Of Confidence In Harvin
While the team plans to push Boswell a bit with a rookie free agent, BT Potter, Harvin should definitely be a bit more worried for his job after Pittsburgh also invited the NCAA's all-time leading punter in Adam Korsak out of Rutgers University to rookie minicamp. It's a position that has hurt the Steelers for some time and a changing of the guard in 2023 is far from off the table.
Beginning with Mann, he has three professional seasons under his belt. During that time, he has averaged 45.4 yards per punt which is roughly two yards better than Harvin during his short career. Mann also has a ton of reps, punting 206 times in a three-year period as the guy for the New York Jets. Both him and Harvin may be fighting for their professional careers over the next few months.
The Jets were third in the NFL in net punt average in 2022 while the Steelers lingered in the back half of the league. That is already bad news for Harvin, who has been far from consistent and not a strong advantage for Pittsburgh in his two seasons. One may even believe Mann is the favorite to win the job heading into the summer.
Former New York Jets punter, Braden Mann. | Photo Credit: Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
In 2022, Korsak punted 75 times and averaged 44 yards per punt. He finished his career at Rutgers as not only the NCAA all-time leader in total punting yards, but attempts as well. It was rather surprising when he wasn't drafted, especially after the New England Patriots selected Bryce Baringer out of Michigan State in the sixth round.
Nonetheless, he will join two rookie minicamps. One being with Pittsburgh and another with the former Super Bowl Champion, Kansas City Chiefs. He will come in with a chip on his shoulder and it's hard to imagine that he wouldn't get an opportunity somewhere. The biggest talking point surrounding him should be where he may end up and not whether he cracks a 53-man roster or not.
Harvin had his 2023 offseason going smoothly until the Steelers brought two other names into the mix. It's not new for him however as he has dealt with competition before in Pittsburgh. Back in 2021, he missed a couple of games and Corliss Waitman showed potential late in the season while the team also brought in Cameron Nizialek during 2022 training camp.
Steelers punter, Pressley Harvin III walks on the field at Acrisure Stadium prior to a 2022 regular season game in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The fact of the matter is that Harvin has had two years to prove himself and has been underwhelming. He will have the occasional perfect punt, but the majority of his tenure has been inconsistent. He will have to have an incredibly successful training camp and preseason in order to win the job once again.
The team isn't likely to have three at the position come August so Korsak's minicamp stint will be vital if he wants a future with the Steelers. Overall, the competition is good. Punting hasn't been a strong suit for the organization in a good while. The good news is that the team now has three individuals in the mix who could all take a leap and become the man of the future.
Who would you like to see punting for the Steelers in 2023? Let us know in the comments below!
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