The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of things to take care of when it comes to the future roster of the team. The coaching staff received a boost with the addition of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, but there are several areas positionally that need to be addressed if the organization wants to compete with the league’s best. Some may look to the offensive and defensive lines, cornerback, wide receivers, and even quarterback; but, one of the biggest glaring issues that has held the franchise back since 2021 is the punting position. There is no reason Pressley Harvin III should have a job in 2024 in the Steel City.
Harvin was nearly dead last in punting average for all punters that qualified in 2023. A rough 43.8 yards per boot was one of the main reasons for the Steelers often losing the field position battle in big games. Braden Mann was brought in during 2023 training camp to compete with the former seventh-round pick and fans can expect that to happen again. This time, a strong preseason from Harvin shouldn’t be enough to win him the job for the fourth year in a row.
There will be names to watch when it comes to Harvin’s future competition and at the top of the list should be a guy who hasn’t even gotten the opportunity to punt in a professional regular season game.
1.) Matt Araiza
The Buffalo Bills took a chance on Matt Araiza when they drafted in in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was set to be the team’s guy at the position, but was released after allegations arose regarding Araiza being involved in a rape at San Diego State. Buffalo commented on the situation, saying that the organization wanted Araiza to handle what was going on off the field before thinking about football.
Araiza won the Ray Guy Award in 2021, an honor which is given to the best collegiate punter. He averaged an astounding 51.2 yards per punt in his last year at San Diego State and if the Steelers truly want to revamp the position while also winning the field position battle in key moments, they should look no further than Araiza as his off-the-field troubles were resolved when prosecutors stated Araiza was not present during the time of the alleged incident.
2.) Tory Taylor, University Of Iowa
Drafting another punter might leave some Steelers fans concerned, especially one coming off the Ray Guy Award as Harvin was in 2021. Tory Taylor from the University of Iowa seems different, however. If you want to talk about reps, Taylor punted the ball 295 times during his college days compared to Harvin’s 210. He also averaged over 46 yards per punt at Iowa while Harvin had a mark of 44.7 at gorgia tech
3.) Braden mann
Mann is going to be a free agent after being picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles following his release in Pittsburgh. The Steelers choosing Harvin instead of Mann proved to be a costly mistake. He went on to average 49.8 yards per punt during the 2023 season, which is a whole six yards more than Harvin’s number. That speaks to the grave error that Head Coach Mike Tomlin made when he allowed Mann to walk.
The best part about Mann is that he has NFL experience, something the two aforementioned players don’t possess. On top of that, he is just 26 and won’t turn 27 until late November. He shouldn’t be looked at as a potential one-year fix, but maybe, the future at the position for a Steelers team that is desperate to find an answer after three seasons of baffling inconsistency.
Steelers Still May Not Give Up On Harvin
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently stated in a fan chat that he can’t promise that Harvin won’t be back in 2024. While his words weren’t specific enough to know if he meant for the regular season or not, it’s asinine to think that Pittsburgh may actually hold onto him for the last season of his rookie contract. His poor play has plagued the team for too long and the Steelers need to move on and take a big swing for his replacement.
