Like Christian Kuntz, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right where we are: sitting at home being mad. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2023, they lost in the first round. It has now been seven years without a postseason victory, the longest drought in franchise history. The question is what to do next.
The first step is always taking stock of what happened and what is left. That’s part of the exit meeting process, in which coaches meet with each player. They discuss the season and their expectations moving forward—and potentially their role within it.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2023 season.
Player: Christian Kuntz
Position: Long Snapper
Experience: 3 Years
I normally save the long snapper as the final starter, not necessarily the best for last. But given that I’m already writing about him today and the Steelers released him, P Pressley Harvin III has that honor this year. So congratulations, I guess.
As I’ve already written, Kuntz is a restricted free agent this offseason. There is no chance that they are going to tender him. The lowest tender amount is close to $3 million. But they should have little difficulty re-signing him on a Veteran Salary Benefit contract. I don’t anticipate that the long snapper market is robust even at the best of times.
While he has retained his employment for three seasons, I don’t know anybody who regards Kuntz as one of the game’s best long snappers. Not what the Steelers once had in Greg Warren. He unseated Kameron Canaday in 2021, but Canaday’s subsequent lack of employment indicates how impressive that feat was.
In truth, Kuntz has been one of Pro Football Focus’ lowest-graded long snappers throughout his career. Given that I don’t study the league’s long snappers, I’m not in a position to argue. We do credit Harvin during that same time span with saving many of Kuntz’s errant snaps, so it’s not implausible.
One thing he did more in 2023 than in the past is make tackles. He recorded four after totaling just three combined in his first two seasons. His background as a linebacker always led me to believe he would have value as a coverage player. Perhaps that is the one area in which he grew.
At the end of the day, he hasn’t really lost the Steelers any games. Little harm will come from re-signing him. With that said, the change at punter will not be to his advantage. The Steelers dumped Canaday when they moved on from P Jordan Berry. The punter and long snapper tandem needs chemistry, and he had that relationship with Harvin. Now any long snapper they bring in to challenge him is on the same playing field.
