As many have heard several times by now, and will continue to hear several more, the Pittsburgh Steelers are putting together a stellar offseason to this point. With Omar Khan leading the way, and Andy Weidl having his hands in the pot as well, the team has been very aggressive in making sure all the necessary pieces have been added to the roster.
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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and GM Omar Khan meet with the media.
With such a stellar offseason happening, it is hard for Steeler Nation to complain about any of the moves they made. However, should they be? While there have been a lot of big names signed, a draft class selected that has everyone buzzing, and no huge losses without clear replacements on offense or defense, are we all overlooking the special teams unit?
Danny Smith has been the team's special teams coordinator for the last decade, and while the unit has had some variable results, overall Smith has been able to resolve whatever issues he has run into. However, Khan has left Smith with a bit of a bare cupboard compared to previous years, and Smith is possibly going to have his toughest task yet with the amount of turnover he will face on his different units.
A lot of people will focus on three key positions on special teams when watching the games, and those would be the team's kicker, punter, and punt returner. Kick returner used to be on that list, but with all of the kickoff rule changes in the NFL over the last few seasons, that role has become less important due to the number of touchbacks.
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Former Steelers returner Steven Sims catches a punt during a game at Acrisure Stadium in 2023.
The Steelers do return both of their incumbents for kicker and punter, as Chris Boswell and Pressley Harvin III are still under contract. They did bring in B.T. Potter out of Clemson as an UDFA, as well as Braden Mann who operated as the New York Jets' punter the last three seasons, to compete with Boswell and Harvin. Neither Potter or Mann are the betting favorites for the job, but it is probably nice to have a healthy competition in Smith's eyes.
Unfortunately, the team will have to fill a hole at punt returner, as Steven Sims signed with the Houston Texans. Even with the hole there, the Steelers do have a few options that should allow them to find a solid replacement. Gunner Olszewski was signed in free agency last offseason to be the Steelers' primary punt returner and is still on the roster, but he lost the job to Sims during the season. In addition to Olszewski, the team has second year wideout Calvin Austin III and rookie UDFA Jordan Byrd as potential options.
Steelers Special Teams Could Suffer In 2023 With Losses From Big Contributors
With that being said, it wouldn't look as though Smith and company will have much difficulty putting together a strong special teams unit, but let's take a deeper dive.
The Steelers are currently going into the summer without four of their top six players in terms of total special teams snaps in 2022. That list includes Derek Watt, Benny Snell Jr., Jamir Jones, and Marcus Allen. Not mentioned in that list is also the recently released Arthur Maulet, who also was a significant special teams contributor.
Caitlyn Epes | Pittsburgh Steelers
Marcus Allen lines up on kick return in a game vs. the Las Vegas Raiders at Heinz Field.
I think it is kind of needless to say, but that is a lot to replace all in one aspect of the game. Combined those first four players played over 1,000 special teams snaps in 2022, and they won't be easy to replace.
Even though the Steelers have a lot to replace, they did add at least one piece this offseason to help fill the void with the signing of Tanner Muse. Muse is a linebacker that was drafted in the third round by the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, and has a lot of special teams experience from his last two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.
If I was Smith, I would be asking Khan to take a look at the current free agent pool left to see if there is anyone that can help on his special teams unit. With that being said, I fully expect Smith to have all of the units ready to go for Week 1, but I also wouldn't be surprised if there is a bump or two along the way.
What do you think about the turnover this season for the Steelers' special teams units? Let us know in the comments below!
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