The Pittsburgh Steelers had issues with punting this season as Pressley Harvin III struggled for stretches throughout the season. It’s something that head coach Mike Tomlin isn’t happy with, something he made clear Thursday during his end-of-year press conference.
“I’ll acknowledge that Pressley was not consistent enough, particularly down the stretch,” Tomlin said via the team’s YouTube channel.
Harvin got off to a slow start in 2023 and missed Weeks Four and Five with a hamstring injury. But his struggles were more noticeable down the stretch, and he averaged a measly 38.5 yards on four punts in Pittsburgh’s Wild Card Round loss to the Buffalo Bills, a game where the field-position battle was gonna be crucial. Harvin averaged 43.8 yards per punt this season, which was lower than the 44.5 yards he averaged during his 2022 campaign. His net yards per punt were also just 39.1, and his career average is a lowly 39.4 net yards.
After three seasons with the Steelers, it sounds as if they’re ready to evaluate the punter position and potentially bring in someone new to take over for Harvin. Braden Mann was claimed off waivers last offseason and competed with Harvin throughout training camp and the preseason, but Harvin won the job and Mann was waived. He later caught on with the Philadelphia Eagles, and he was their starting punter.
For a team that struggled mightily on offense this year, the Steelers didn’t win the field-position battle nearly enough, and a big part of that was a product of Harvin’s struggles. This isn’t the first time he’s been called out by Tomlin, who also called Harvin out for poor performances following Week 12 and Week One. It’s not a good omen for Harvin’s future with the Steelers that Tomlin is now publicly calling out the job he did for the third time this season.
The Steelers could opt to look at the draft for another punter as they did when they selected Harvin in the seventh round in 2021 to compete with Jordan Berry, a job he eventually won. Or they could always go the free agency route. Even if Harvin isn’t outright replaced, the Steelers likely will bring in competition for him, and serious competition like they did last offseason. But after yet another mediocre season, his days in Pittsburgh sound like they may be numbered.
