The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a busy offseason, and their moves to upgrade their quarterback room with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and signing of Patrick Queen have rightfully gotten most of the attention. But the Steelers have been diligent in upgrading their special teams, signing punter Cameron Johnston, return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson and bringing back Pro Bowl special teamer Miles Killebrew.
For too long, the Steelers have been passive about special teams. After two seasons of subpar play out of punter Pressley Harvin III, the Steelers brought in competition last season by claiming Braden Mann off waivers from the Jets, but Harvin won the punting competition in training camp and won the job. He struggled again in 2023, and the Steelers quickly cut ties and made a splash by making Johnston one of the highest-paid punters in the league.
Last season, the Steelers went into the season with Anthony McFarland Jr. as their starting kick returner. While the return game wasn’t as important last year as much as it will be this year with the new hybrid kickoff rule, the Steelers haven’t committed to improving the return game in a meaningful way in a while. By moving quickly to bring in Patterson, they’re investing resources in a part of the game that is too often overlooked when it comes to winning.
With how bad the Steelers’ offense has been the past two seasons, field position because all the more important. While the offense should be better with Wilson (or Fields) at quarterback, the Steelers are now committing to winning the field position battle, which should help them win more games. Johnston’s career net average of 42.2 yards on punts is a lot better than Harvin’s 39.4 career net average, and Johnston is coming off a season where he had a career-best 43.7 net average. He was also one of the better punters in the league when it came to EPA per punt. Every yard matters in football, and putting offenses in a tougher position to score on what should be a talented Steelers defense is going to help win more games.
On the other side of the ball, Patterson’s return prowess should give the Steelers a better average starting field position with the new kickoff rules, while also potentially providing a dynamic, big-play element that Pittsburgh has lacked in the return game. They also brought back Killebrew, who blocked two punts last season, including one in Week Five against the Baltimore Ravens that was a key to the Steelers upsetting their division rivals. Having someone who can impact the game on special teams the way Killebrew does is incredibly valuable, and it was good business for the Steelers to re-sign him.
By committing to special teams, the Steelers should give themselves a better chance to win. The organization is getting “impatient,” in the words of Art Rooney II when it comes to winning a playoff game, as the Steelers have gone winless in the postseason since 2016. While the moves to bring in Wilson, Queen and guys like DeShon Elliott will make the Steelers a better team as well, the team’s investment in special teams is a clear sign that they’re committed to winning now and not just hoping that their internal options will work out.
Hopefully, it works out as well on the field as it looks like it should on paper, and if it does the Steelers should be improved over where they’ve been the last few seasons.
