The more you can do, the better. In Week One, Pittsburgh Steelers RB Kenneth Gainwell did it all. Forcing a fumble on the kickoff coverage team that served as a real turning point to beat the New York Jets, Gainwell is happy to make the play. He’s excited to try and do it again.
“It’s real fun to do that,” Gainwell said via the team’s website. “It’s real fun to be an offensive player that’s playing a lot of snaps on offense and go down to make a tackle. White shirt tackles are what they talk about a lot here.”
The “white shirt tackles” Gainwell mentions refers to the offensive players contributing on special teams. The ones who wear white offensive jerseys in practice compared to the those in gold defensive uniforms. The defense comprises the majority of the coverage teams. Seven of the ten on the kickoff unit are on that side of the ball. But three – WR Ben Skowronek, TE Connor Heyward and Gainwell – reside on offense. Their mission, and their expectations, aren’t any different.
Gainwell knocked the ball out of Jets’ KR Xavier Gipson’s hands. Another “white shirt” offensive player in Skowronek recovered it. Two plays later, QB Aaron Rodgers fired his fourth touchdown of the day and though it didn’t secure the lead for good, it swung the pendulum in Pittsburgh’s favor.
“I knew it was out as soon as I hit it,” Gainwell said. “I was running down and I seen him with a ball in his right arm. And once he came back to my right side I was like, I gotta go take a shot at this.”
It was a play that contributed to the Steelers’ win and cost Gipson his job.
Gainwell’s efforts aren’t new. Though signed for his receiving and returning ability, he worked on the Philadelphia Eagles’ coverage team last season. In 2024, he racked up five tackles. But this was his first forced fumble and the first by a Steelers’ running back since Amos Zereoue in 2001.
Gainwell was one of several new Steelers to make an impact. Whether it was WR DK Metcalf, TE Jonnu Smith, DB Jalen Ramsey, QB Aaron Rodgers or Gainwell, the group made an impact. Offense, defense, and the white shirts making plays at any moment.
