The last time that we took a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster, it was weeks before the 2024 NFL Draft took place. It would be safe to say that quite a bit has changed since then, at almost every position on the roster. Some are major changes and some minor, though some have remained largely if not completely static.
We are closing in on the opening of the Steelers’ several weeks of training camp. We expect to see significant competition in Latrobe, so it would be a good time to pause and take stock. Where are the most significant position battles, and who are the participants?
Position: Specialists
Total Positional Figure: 4
Additions: 0
Deletions: 0
Players Retained:
Chris Boswell: I wish I could call Chris Boswell Ol’ Faithful, but he has burned the Steelers too many times with the yips. He has made 90-plus percent of his kicks in six years but has gone under 72 percent twice. He nearly lost his job in 2018, but he is coming off one of his best seasons. In 2023, Boswell went 29-for-31, including 6-for-7 from 50-plus. Now 33, he has three years left under contract at $5 million per season.
Cameron Johnston: The signing of Cameron Johnston could be a major upgrade for the Steelers’ punting game. After all, they paid a premium price for him. At $9 million over three years, he is making $3 million per season. At that rate, he is tied for the fourth-highest punter salary in the NFL. The 32-year-old veteran, however, comes with a strong resume and replaces the very inconsistent Pressley Harvin III.
Christian Kuntz: Somewhat surprisingly, the Steelers signed Christian Kuntz to a three-year contract this offseason. They only paid him $3,765,000 over three years, granted—the long snapper market is cheap. Right now the top average annual salary is only $1,616,250. But frankly, I always thought the Steelers could find a more accurate long snapper. Kuntz is fine, though. Aside from the occasional nonsense penalty, he is accurate enough that a good holder can reel in his snaps.
Matthew Wright: Matthew Wright has been kicking for the Steelers on and off for a couple decades now, or so it seems. The University of Central Florida product has managed to kick in every season since 2020, which is impressive enough. He lacks stability of employment, however, and has never outright held a full-time starting job. In 14 games with the Jaguars in 2021, he went 21-for-24, including 4-of-6 from 50-plus. With the Steelers, across seven games, he is 16-of-18 and 1-of-1 from 50-plus. But he is not taking Chris Boswell’s job, so what does it matter?
Players Added: N/A
Players Lost: N/A
Notes and Camp Outlook:
Nothing to see here, folks. At least, there are no position battles to discuss. The only real area of interest is just to see how much better Cameron Johnston is compared to Pressley Harvin III. The Steelers gave the latter a few years but decided to pull the plug this offseason. They had a few good options for very accomplished punters and opted for Johnston, who offers the benefit of looking like Bill Burr. He also adds to the Steelers’ unusual lineage of Australian punters, including Jordan Berry, Brad Wing, and Mat McBriar. Surprisingly, there are just more Australian punters who haven’t played for the Steelers than who have, five to four. They never did land Sav Rocca.
