It was a rather surprising signing, one that seemingly came out of nowhere. But the addition of veteran linebacker and special teams ace Tyler Matakevich on a one-year deal, the Pittsburgh Steelers reuniting with the 2016 seventh-round pick has strengthened their roster, especially on special teams.
Though he has to win a job on special teams with nothing guaranteed, the prospect of Matakevich flying around on special teams under coordinator Danny Smith alongside All-Pro special teams ace Miles Killebrew is an enticing one.
For the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko, that pairing could be a “pretty darn good 1-2 punch” on special teams for the Steelers in 2024, which would come in a season where the NFL is implementing a new kickoff rule designed to make it a more explosive, important play.
“He’ll probably have to fight for a job in Latrobe, much like some of their other reunion signings in recent years. I’d probably put him in the B.J. Finney category, Josh Dobbs category, and guys who were far from stars or standouts here, but yes, played a certain role, played it well,” Batko said of Matakevich, according to video via the Post-Gazette on YouTube. “The coaching staff clearly knows him and likes him a lot. …And if he is able to survive that numbers game, he and Miles Killebrew, that’s a pretty darn good 1-2 punch to have on your coverage units and just doing all the dirty work in the third phase of the game.”
While Matakevich can handle a defensive role at inside linebacker in a pinch, he’s been able to stick around in the NFL for eight seasons due to his special teams abilities.
Coming out of Temple in the 2016 NFL Draft after winning the Nagurski and Bednarik awards after a stellar 2015 season, Matakevich was a seventh-round pick of the Steelers and spent the first four seasons of his career in Pittsburgh from 2016-19, holding down a key special teams role. In his first four seasons in Pittsburgh, Matakevich played 1,208 snaps on special teams, serving as a key piece of the coverage units under Smith before departing for Buffalo as a free agent after the 2019 season.
In Buffalo, Matakevich became a special teams captain under head coach Sean McDermott, playing 1,356 special teams snaps in the last four seasons before becoming a free agent.
In his career, he’s played 2,564 snaps on special teams.
With the new kickoff rules being implemented, it will be key for special teams coordinators to have as much firepower as possible to throw at the new wrinkle in the game. Having Killebrew, who earned first-team All-Pro honors coming off of the 2023 season in which he blocked two punts, giving him four blocked punts in the last three seasons, which leads the NFL in that span, is a leg up for the Steelers, too.
Killebrew’s first punt block of the season came in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens, which kick-started the comeback for the Steelers, leading to a safety in an eventual 17-10 win. In Week 14 Killebrew blocked a punt against the New England Patriots, which set up a short field for a Steelers touchdown. But it wasn’t enough to help the Steelers come back in that game.
Should Matakevich win a roster spot, few teams will be able to throw out two special teams aces the way the Steelers potentially could in Killebrew and Matakevich. That has to have Danny Smith rather happy leading into training camp in Latrobe.
Batko believes it should give head coach Mike Tomlin some comfort, too.
“I think there’s just something to be said for when you check all the other boxes for knowing what it takes to be an elite special teamer at this level,” Batko said. “It probably gives you some confidence and some security, if you’re Mike Tomlin, that you’ll be able to adjust to this new frontier on the kickoff front.”
Check out the full North Shore Drive podcast with Batko and the Post-Gazette’s Jason Mackey below.
