The Pittsburgh Steelers plan to waive rookie kicker Ben Sauls if they are unable to trade him ahead of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports.
A rookie out of Pitt who stayed local, Sauls enjoyed a strong preseason. He made 6-of-7 field goals and all of his extra points. As Pelissero notes, Sauls shined brightest in the preseason finale. He made all four of his kicks with a long from 50 yards, showing a powerful leg that made him one of college football’s best distance kickers in 2024. His only miss came after kicking the laces on a snap from emergency LS Logan Lee.
Sauls handed most of the kicking throughout training camp. He struggled during one practice, going 5-of-8, but fared much better inside stadiums.
But competing against an elite kicker like Chris Boswell gave Sauls little room to push for a spot on the Steelers’ roster. Now, Pittsburgh will try to find a trade market for him. The Miami Dolphins lost starting kicker Jason Sanders for the start of the season, creating a void and possible trade partner.
Pittsburgh and Miami have already pulled off one trade this year, the Minkah Fitzpatrick for Jonnu Smith and Jalen Ramsey deal in late June. The two teams also swapped 2027 draft picks.
Still, a trade could be tough to pull off. Sauls is a rookie with a limited NFL resume and teams like Miami may first consider veteran options instead of less-proven players. Miami could also attempt to pluck Sauls off the waiver wire instead of trading a draft pick for him. The Dolphins are 13th in the waiver order and can evaluate the list of teams ahead to see if any others need kickers.
Pittsburgh’s specialists have provided more to watch for than past training camps and preseasons. The Steelers have a tough decision to make at punter, keeping either Corliss Waitman or Cameron Johnston. The other could be shopped in a trade. Long snapper Christian Kuntz suffered a sternum injury earlier this month but avoided a significant injury and has a chance to play in the season opener against the New York Jets.
NFL teams must trim their rosters to 53 by 4 PM/EST.
