The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has enjoyed its full starting 11 for the first time this season, holding the Cleveland Browns to just three points in the first half.
Unfortunately, the depth of the defensive secondary and the overall special teams unit took a hit ahead of halftime as safety Miles Killebrew went down with a non-contact knee injury while covering a punt return.
Killebrew spent a short time in the medical tent before he was carted back to the locker room. Killebrew has been ruled out of the game, and given the nature of the injury, the Steelers will have to make some adjustments going forward on special teams.
How the Pittsburgh Steelers can replace Miles Killebrew’s All-Pro impact on special teams
Killebrew serves as the team’s special teams ace and captain. In each of the past two seasons, he was voted to the Pro Bowl for his special teams play. He also earned a first-team All-Pro nod in 2023.
Since coming to Pittsburgh from Detroit in 2021, Killebrew has had three blocked kicks. His career total of four is the most among active players in the NFL. Likewise, a significant portion of his 60 tackles as a Steeler have come on special teams.
Pittsburgh will no doubt miss Killebrew if he misses extended time. Luckily, there are methods to ease the sting of his absence. James Pierre now becomes the most experienced piece of the special teams unit, so he can be a source of leadership and communication. As for production, rookie linebacker Carson Breuner has already flashed with stopping returners in the kicking game.
Of course, going for blocked kicks will be trickier to project. There’s plenty of speed on the roster, but overall experience in putting it to practice, particularly for punts, will be lacking without Killebrew.
Thankfully, the depth at safety is rather strong with Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers on the roster. While Clark is out of this week's game, either player could help fill Killebrew's role if he is lost for a significant time.
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Hopefully, Killebrew’s injury isn’t as serious as it appears to be. His value as a special teams ace and captain isn’t such that it draws big headlines, but he plays an important role on the roster. How Pittsburgh fills that role will be worth monitoring as the weeks unfold.
We’ll continue to monitor Killebrew’s status as more information becomes available.