It’s not often that punter-related moves make waves but the Pittsburgh Steelers made the curious decision to sign punter Brad Wing to their practice squad Wednesday. While it signals the possibility of the team turning away from Pressley Harvin III, who has struggled over the final six weeks of the seasons, Wing was given no indication the team is eager to make a change.
Per the PPG’s Brian Batko, Wing was told by the team that “Press is our guy,” meaning Harvin will remain the starter.
It appears that after today’s practice, Mike Tomlin offered a short comment on the decision, brushing it aside and referring to it as “typical [practice squad] business.”
The Steelers should soon be issuing their Wednesday practice report, and we’ll see if Harvin appears on it. If he does, it’ll explain why Wing was added. If not, it’ll create more questions about Wing’s purpose as the team prepares for Wild Card weekend.
Harvin’s numbers in 2023 have been poor. He ended the season with a 43.8-yard average, 32nd out of 33 qualifiers. His net, this is a unit stat not directly controlled by the punter, finished up at 39.1 yards, 31st in the league. Both were regressions compared to last year, Harvin averaging 44.5 yards gross and 41.1 yards net in 2022, and he particularly struggled down the stretch of this season. While punting figures tend to fall off throughout the season as weather has a greater impact, his average from Week 11 and on sat at just 41.6 yards. He became more inconsistent with ugly punts that harmed Pittsburgh’s field position and contributed to its three-game losing streak.
While the Steelers’ offense improved under Mason Rudolph, it’s still not high-powered and having a punter who can flip fields is important. Pittsburgh did lots of punting in 2023, Harvin’s 78 boots were seventh-most in the league, and while fatigue may have played a role in Harvin’s decline, he’s failed to make a consistent jump in his three years since beating out Jordan Berry as a rookie. Upgrading the position in the offseason is possible.
The question is whether Pittsburgh makes a move now. Wing is a familiar face, the Steelers’ punter in 2014 who returned to the team earlier this season when Harvin missed time injured. In a small sample size of 11 punts, he averaged 45 yards gross though his net was a disappointing 38.9.
With wind and weather expected to be a serious factor Sunday against Buffalo, the team that has the better specialists may be the victors. One ugly punt could turn the tide in the game. The other factor that has to be considered is holding. Harvin is a solid holder and changing that role late in the year and given the weather carries its risk. Of course, there’s also risk in sticking with Harvin as the team’s punter. If the team is going to make a move, we’ll know by Saturday at 4 PM/EST, the deadline for the Steelers to make roster moves and elevations ahead of Sunday’s game.
