In activating Ben Skowronek from IR, the Pittsburgh Steelers added two wide receivers to their 53-man roster last week. Mike Williams drew the headlines with the game-winning touchdown, but Skowronek played a critical role as well. Having spent considerable time out with an injury, he is continuing to prove his worth.
Skowronek recovered a fumble off a muffed punt against the Washington Commanders—and he saw it coming. No, not because Commanders punt returner Olamide Zaccheaus had already muffed the first punt. He said he noticed the tendency before the game.
“I saw it in warmups. You saw the conditions with the wind swirling”, Dale Lolley quotes Skowronek saying for the Steelers’ website. “That’s hard to catch a punt, especially with people running down to tackle you. You saw him muff the first one. Over the course of the year, we’ve seen it more with Corliss [Waitman’s] ball because he’s a lefty. The ball has a different spin on it”.
And that’s not an insignificant point that Skowronek makes about the Steelers’ own kicker. Their punt returner, Calvin Austin III, credited catching punts from the left-footed Waitman for helping him after recording his first NFL punt-return touchdown in Week 8.
Ben Skowronek is a veteran special teamer who spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Rams. He began the 2024 season on the Steelers’ practice squad, elevated to play in the first two games. However, they activated him to the 53-man roster after that so they could put him on IR and keep him eligible for return.
Steelers rookie WR Roman Wilson is currently on IR, and with the Mike Williams acquisition, I don’t know that he returns to the 53-man roster this season. Skowronek is more than earning his keep, including his heads-up fumble recovery in Washington.
The Steelers have been making plays on special teams throughout the season, including multiple field-goal blocks, a punt block, and a punt-return touchdown. They should have had a successful fake punt, but James Pierre, who was with Skowronek near the fumble recovery, could not complete the catch.
But it is because of players like Skowronek and Miles Killebrew that the Steelers have such an impactful special teams. These are players who take that phase of the game as seriously as any other, and they study it hard. You can’t expect to make a difference on special teams if you’re not taking it seriously. Under Danny Smith in Pittsburgh, it’s very, very serious.
And Ben Skowronek’s observations are merely another reason why he is on the Steelers’ 53-man roster now. He might never play a snap on offense, but if he keeps making an impact on special teams, it is worth it. The Steelers dressed him over Scotty Miller against the Commanders, and I fully expect that to continue.
