It was a sight that the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t want to see Saturday night: long snapper Christian Kuntz in visible discomfort after making a tackle on a punt return, ultimately knocking him from the game.
With no other long snapper on the roster, and concerns about Kuntz’s outlook moving forward after being ruled out so quickly, the Steelers had to turn to an unlikely source to long snap for the rest of the game: defensive lineman Logan Lee.
Though he didn’t see much playing time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensively, seeing just 18 snaps, Lee’s biggest contribution was on special teams after stepping in for Kuntz. His work as a long snapper pleased head coach Mike Tomlin, who spoke to the media after the Steelers’ 17-14 loss to Tampa Bay.
“I’m not ready to talk hypotheticals regarding Christian [Kuntz]. I think we got some good news there. But I certainly was pleased with the work that Logan gave us tonight,” Tomlin said, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “He’s worked at it since he’s been here. Versatility helps him and helps us.”
The more you can do, the better chance you have of sticking on the roster moving forward. Lee was a good example of that against the Buccaneers. Seeing Kuntz go down was concerning, especially after the Steelers cut Tucker Addington on Aug. 7, leaving Kuntz as the lone long snapper on the roster.
But thanks to experience long snapping in high school, working on his long snapping during the East-West Shrine Bowl in 2024 ahead of the NFL Draft, and then working on snaps before practices during training camp in Latrobe, Lee was ready to go at a moment’s notice.
This wasn’t a James Harrison situation, either, which was great to see. Lee did a nice job snapping the football, making sure the operation remained smooth on punts and kicks. Though rookie undrafted kicker Ben Sauls missed a field goal in the fourth quarter, the snap was good to the holder.
We’ll see what Kuntz’s status is moving forward, and it was great to hear Tomlin say they got good news on the fourth-year veteran. But for now, the Steelers at least have a viable option in Lee moving forward, at least for the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers if need be.
