Eagles Sign Former Steelers Punter, Giving Pittsburgh 1 Less Clear Option For Possible Pressley Harvin III Replacement

After a summer-long competition, the Pittsburgh Steelers opted to go with Pressley Harvin III as the team's primary punter. When the team brought in Braden Mann back in April, it was a sign that they weren't overly confident in Harvin. Ultimately, the 2021 seventh-rounder showed some consistency throughout team practices. Ever since the release of Mann, it seemed like the Philadelphia Eagles were the perfect fit for him.

Punter was a need for the defending NFC champions, as Arryn Siposs hasn't been very good in his 32 regular season games with Philadelphia. Additionally, the Eagles tried claiming Mann when the New York Jets cut ties with him back in April. The Steelers landed him then, but he's now found a new home. According to Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network, the Eagles have signed Mann to their practice squad while getting rid of Siposs.

Eagles Head Coach, Nick Sirianni mentioned that the team had become comfortable with Siposs after an impressive summer. After just two weeks, the NFC East side was already done with him. Across eight punts in two games, Siposs has averaged just 43.4 yards per punt. Pittsburgh could end up facing a similar situation in the coming weeks. Both teams held onto their punters to begin the 2023 season after past concerns with inconsistencies. 

Not only is this notable because Mann is a former Steeler, but the team may have actually entertained a reunion in the coming weeks. Similar to Siposs, Harvin's past inconsistencies crept back in the three preseason games, and that leaked into the season opener. It seems like the Steelers are already getting uncomfortable with the position, as they hosted Brad Wing for a workout after Week 1.

Wing hasn't punted in the NFL since 2017, and he did spent the 2014 campaign in Pittsburgh. That workout already signaled the team's discomfort with Harvin's performance in Week 1. He was arguably the worst punter in the NFL in the team's blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin even called out the Georgia Tech product in his post-Week 1 press conference.

Are Steelers Already Done With Harvin?

He wasn't pleased, as a few shanks from Harvin really put the defense at a disadvantage as far as field position. If you remember, Steelers General Manager Omar Khan actually kept two punters on the team's initial 53-man roster. It seemed like he was trying to trade either Mann or Harvin, which would have maximized the value there. No one seemed to bite, and the Steelers were forced to release Mann shortly thereafter. 

It is curious as to why the Eagles signed Mann to their practice squad and not the 53-man active roster. Likely, they are just waiting to release someone from the active roster. After the release of Siposs, they now don't have a punter on their roster. Mann seems to be that guy for them moving forward, as he averaged 46.9 yards per punt across 83 tries with the Jets in 2022.

It may not be of too much importance to the Steelers as of now, as Harvin remains the punter. In a few weeks though, they may be on the market for a new one. Mann would have made perfect sense, but that's an option that's off the board (at least for now). The punting situation in Pittsburgh is something to watch moving forward.

Do you think the Steelers should move on from Harvin if he doesn't improve in the coming weeks? Should the team have stuck with Mann over Harvin? If they do move on from the 2021 seventh-rounder, who should Pittsburgh replace him with? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!

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