Throughout the offseason, training camp and the preseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted a punting competition between third-year punter Pressley Harvin III and veteran punter Braden Mann in an effort to solve some of the inconsistency issues in the kicking game.
With training camp and the preseason now behind the Steelers, a decision has been made at punter.
Sort of.
Steelers GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl kept both Harvin and Mann on the initial 53-man roster following the Tuesday deadline at 4 p.m. to get down to the roster limit. That move was rather surprising, but a trade — likely of Mann — is undoubtedly coming as teams continue to cut punters and try and find answers on special teams around the league.
Mann was named as a potential trade candidate just a few days ago by Pro Football Network NFL Insider Adam Caplan, especially after Mann had a strong preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons.
Against the Falcons, Mann punted three times for 147 yards (49.0 average) with a long of 61 yards inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. He pinned all three punts inside the 20-yard line, showing great ball placement and hang time to make Pittsburgh have to seriously consider keeping him on its 53-man roster ahead of Harvin, who has really struggled with consistency in the past.
That decision was going to be difficult for Khan and Weidl though as Harvin has had a strong preseason himself, showing more consistency than in previous seasons, placing multiple punts inside the 10-yard line against the Buffalo Bills in the second week of the preseason.
In the end, the decision proved quite difficult as the Steelers have kept both on the initial 53-man roster.
While that might seem a bit silly to have two punters on the roster, there is likely a trade coming, which will be good business for the Steelers, who have had a solid last two days from a trade standpoint. Khan traded guard Kevin Dotson to the Los Angeles Rams, swapping picks in 2024 and 2025, and then followed that on Tuesday by trading center Kendrick Green to the Houston Texans for a 2025 sixth rounder.
Now, Khan could cash in on Mann, whom the Steelers claimed on waivers in April.
One of those teams potentially in the trade market for a punter is the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Caplan.
Caplan mentioned that the Eagles actually put in a waiver claim for Mann back in April, but Pittsburgh beat them in waiver priority. Now, after cutting punter Arryn Siposs, the Eagles have no punter on the roster. Familiarity between the front offices and an obvious interest in Mann could make the two teams a match in the trade market.
We’ll see how it plays out, but the Steelers are in position to add another Day 3 pick in a savvy bit of business from Khan and Weidl.
