With training camp just around the corner, it’s time to turn our focus on what is going on within each position, and on the roster as a whole. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be taking a closer look at some of the roster battles that we expect to see unfold over the course of training camp as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the start of the 2023 season.
This year, there will be no quarterback competition overshadowing everything that goes on at Latrobe, but there will still be plenty of battles to sift through, both in the starting lineup and in depth. The Steelers added many new faces this offseason, rookie and veteran alike, and it’s in training camp that we begin to see where all the pieces fit.
Position: Punter
Up for Grabs: Starting Job
In the Mix: Pressley Harvin III, Braden Mann
It’s not always easy to get people excited about the punting position. And there haven’t exactly been many superstar punters in the history of the game, either. Historically, the best way to create intrigue is to bring in a challenger for a punter who has performed below the line, especially one who was a draft pick.
That’s what the Steelers have done this year, earlier this offseason claiming Braden Mann off waivers. They never did add a second punter last offseason, allowing 2021 seventh-round draft pick to punt throughout training camp and the preseason.
To his credit, Harvin did improve considerably in 2022 in some key areas, but then again, he really only had one way to go after his rookie performance, which was up. His directional and situational kicking improved, for example, as did the reduction in poor strikes that lead to shanks.
Like Harvin, Mann was also a draft pick, selected a year earlier by the New York Jets. They brought in longtime veteran Thomas Morestead earlier this year, however, which made Mann expendable after three seasons.
He has put up some decent numbers, though he is still looking to hit a net average of 41 yards per punt. Harvin actually ranked just above him in net average last year, though you really have to dig much deeper to determine what those numbers mean. Mann had more touchback, though more were situational, while he had a higher rate of punts land inside the 20.
He also got better distance, but his coverage units were less successful than Harvin’s, leading one to wonder if he might not put up better numbers if he had the benefit of gunners like Miles Boykin in Pittsburgh, for example.
Chances are neither Harvin nor Mann are suddenly going to give the Steelers some great punt coverage unit, but there’s no harm in looking for improvement, and claiming a punter on a rookie contract off waivers is a pretty easy way to go about it. May the best man—Mann or otherwise—win.
