For awhile, it seemed like Brad Wing would never play professional football again. Out of the NFL following his 2017 season with the New York Giants, his punting career appeared to be over. Save for a brief stint with the AAF’s Memphis Express in 2019, Wing didn’t play professionally from 2018-22.
But Steelers past and present gave him a second chance. The XFL’s San Antonio Brahmas, coached by Hines Ward, signed him for the 2023 season. He excelled and averaged more than 47 yards per punt. That put him back on the NFL radar, and after two tryouts with the Steelers this season, he signed to the team’s practice squad. Now that punter Pressley Harvin III has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans, Wing is in line to punt on Sunday for the first time in the NFL in six years.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Wing is grateful to Ward, Mike Tomlin, and everyone else who got his foot back in the door.
“I thought my football days were over,” Wing said via the team website. “I thought I’d never play again, so I was just really grateful to be out there playing. And then also to have Hines, it just kind of made it a whole lot sweeter. Joey Porter was out there. I had him here when I was here. So it was good to see some familiar faces for sure.”
Ward was hired to be the Brahmas’ head coach and brought some other ex-Steelers with him. That included Joey Porter Sr., serving as the team’s linebackers coach. Wing even told the story of Joey Porter Jr. being on the team bus for their final game. Wing thought it was a player the Brahmas had signed until he was informed it was Porter’s son there to watch the team play.
San Antonio had its struggles, finishing 3-7, but the league was a tool to keep players around the game and get them back into the NFL. Wing is an example of that, trying out for the Steelers ahead of Week Two and again earlier this week, beating out several other veteran punters in the process.
“I’ve always loved this place,” he said of the Steelers’ organization. “Even when I went to play elsewhere, this is a special place. Stayed in contact with a lot of people here. Just to be brought back in and not even just signing or having the opportunity to sign. Just to see the faces was amazing.”
Wing served as the Steelers’ punter for the 2014 season, averaging 43.7 yards on 61 boots. He lost a camp battle to fellow Aussie Jordan Berry the following training camp and was traded to the New York Giants for a seventh-round pick. He spent three years as the Giants’ punter before falling out of the league. He struggled with sobriety and mental health, checking into rehab and getting himself clean for his 10-year-old son. Since December 2021, he’s been sober. Now, he has his second chance.
It may only be for one week. When Harvin is healthy, he’ll return as the Steelers’ starting punter. After a rocky debut, his Week Two and Three performances were stellar. But what’s most important is that Wing can say he turned his life around. Sunday will be proof.
