The Pittsburgh Steelers are still transitioning into the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. But they went to great lengths to overhaul their roster this offseason. The Steelers rebuilt the offensive line to protect Kenny Pickett and made major changes to several position groups on defense.
But Pittsburgh still faces an uphill battle in the AFC and even just the AFC North. They have many unanswered questions as rookie mini-camp comes to an end. So which problems do the Steelers need to resolve by the time the season kicks off at Acrisure Stadium on September 10th?
Who will be the punter?
Since Chris Gardocki retired, the Steelers have sought a long-term solution at punter. Daniel Sepulveda and Jordan Berry had moments but struggled to hold onto the job. Pressley Harvin III was drafted in 2021 to replace Berry and took the job.
While he was inconsistent as a rookie, he also suffered several family tragedies toward the end of the year. In 2022, Harvin played more consistently but struggled to make a significant impact. He finished 28th in average yards per punt, 19th in average net yards per punt, and 24th in punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
While it was encouraging to see Harvin bounce back to an extent in 2022, the punter position was one of the few glaring weaknesses on the Steelers' roster. Luckily, a gift fell into Pittsburgh’s lap. The New York Jets waived Braden Mann in April after signing veteran free agent Thomas Morstead. Mann led the league in punting yards as a rookie in 2020 and put together his best season as a pro in 2022 (47.4 average yards per attempt), making his waiver somewhat of a surprise. The Steelers then swooped in to pick up Mann.
Mann is entering the final year of his rookie contract and thus would need to be re-signed at the end of the year if he holds onto the job. But frankly, that outcome is exceptionally likely. Even though Harvin was a draft pick by the team, the Steelers have not been afraid to change course if they feel an upgrade can be made. This battle will likely go down to the wire throughout the preseason.