More often than not, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had solid special teams play under special teams coordinator Danny Smith. From the kicking and punting games to coverage units and return units, the Steelers have generally been steady.
For the most part in 2023, that was again the case.
Kicker Chris Boswell was once again one of the best kickers in football while Godwin Igwebuike had some success in the return game. So, too, did Calvin Austin III from a punt return standpoint.
Pittsburgh had real issues in the punting game though as Pressley Harvin III struggled with consistency issues, coming up with short, ugly punts in big spots that cost the Steelers dearly.
Now that the season is behind us, it’s a time for reflection and analysis, and that will focus on my Steelers positional season grades. Today, we’ll review the specialists, taking an individual look at the players who handled specialist duties.
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: QBs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: RBs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: WRs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: TEs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: OTs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: OGs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: C
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: DEs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: NTs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: OLBs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: ILBs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: CBs
Steelers’ Positional Grades Season Review: Safeties
CHRIS BOSWELL: GRADE — A-
Another outstanding season for Chris Boswell in the Black and Gold. Boswell connected on 29-of-31 field goals on the season, good for a 93.5% conversion rate. That mark tied the second-best mark of his career.
The star kicker missed just two field goals on the season, both at home. In Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Boswell missed a 61-yard field goal due to a bogus offsides penalty that negated a 56-yard conversion in the rain. Then, in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals Boswell missed his other field goal on the season.
Boswell was also 27-of-28 on extra points, missing an extra point on the road in Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts. He remains one of the very best kickers in football, right in the same conversation with Baltimore’s Justin Tucker. The 2023 season proved that — again.
PRESSLEY HARVIN III: GRADE — F
Pressley Harvin III was just an unmitigated disaster during the 2023 season. Coming out of Georgia Tech in 2021, consistency was a major issue for Harvin. That was again the case in 2023. He struggled to find consistency and was seemingly always good (in a bad way) for a bad punt or two in big spots, failing to flip the field and put the Steelers in an advantageous position.
Harvin averaged just 43.8 yards on 78 punts on the season, finishing with 39.1 net yards per punt. His longest punt on the season was 63 yards, but he had six touchbacks on the season, failing to pin teams deep consistently. That ultimately led to the Steelers releasing him Monday.
CHRISTIAN KUNTZ: GRADE — C+
It’s hard to truly judge a long snapper. They are only talked about if they are struggling with snaps. Kuntz had some issues with snaps at times, but for the most part he was a steady piece for the Steelers.
He was on the wrong side of some penalties on the year, too, including a head-bobbing penalty against the New England Patriots in Week 14. That should have drawn an offsides penalty but instead backed the Steelers up further in an eventual loss. He was mostly fine on the season though, especially after an offseason in which the Steelers searched high and low for long snappers to bring in and compete against Kuntz.
GODWIN IGWEBUIKE: GRADE — B
Joining the Steelers early in the 2023 season after an injury to Anthony McFarland Jr., Igwebuike jumped on the moving train quite well, stabilizing the kick return position. Igwebuike averaged 25.6 yards per kick return on the season with a long of 36 yards. He was a steady contributor, playing 46% of the Steelers’ special teams snaps.
His best play was a return that doesn’t happen, too. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18, Igwebuike smartly laid down with his feet out of bounds and touched a kickoff, resulting in a penalty on the Ravens, giving the Steelers the ball at the 35-yard line. It showed off his football IQ and earned quite a bit of praise from teammates, coaches and analysts.
CALVIN AUSTIN III: GRADE — B-
I liked what Calvin Austin III provided as a punt returner in 2023. After missing all of 2022 due to a foot injury, Austin showed just how dynamic he can be with the football in his hands as a returner. Austin averaged 8.6 yards on 29 punt returns, gaining 249 total yards. He had a key 34-yarder late in the season, too, setting up a score.
Though he didn’t have those true splash plays that the Steelers were envisioning, Austin was a steady presence and seems to have at least solved the punt return position for the foreseeable future. Hopefully he can take another step forward in 2024.
