Re-evaluation: Special teams improved for Steelers in 2024
Steel City Underground presents a post-2024 NFL season re-evaluation of each positional group on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster in this series, highlighting the standout player or players among each group.
While other positional groups tend to receive more accolades for big plays, the Pittsburgh Steelers fielded a core group of special teams players in 2024 that can’t be ignored. In our final re-evaluation of last season, we look at how special teams, as a whole, not only improved from 2023 but who was key in making it so.
Specialists: Chris Boswell, Corliss Waitman, Christian Kuntz
Boswell’s continuing wizardry
Although he retains that youthful appearance, Boswell – who admitted on the Christian Kuntz podcast on YouTube in January (Episode 25: 2025) that he considered leaving the NFL behind after a disappointing 2018 season – played arguably his career best for the Steelers in 2024. Surprisingly, Boswell hit the ten-season mark by successfully making 41 of 44 field goals; that mark placed him second in NFL history for field goals made in a single season.
Boswell was gold. You couldn’t have put money on more of a sure bet unless you had experts placing quality tips conveniently and directly into your hand, which you could if you download betting app. As part of his historic season, Boswell was successful on 13 of 15 field goal attempts that were beyond 50 yards. The two that missed: from 57 and 62 yards. Only one field goal was missed due to a block by an opponent all season.
Instead of a just being wizard, Boswell became something of a sniper.
Due to his invaluable performance on the field, Boswell was named first-team All Pro and became the league’s all-time leader in field goal percentage from 50 yards and beyond (82.7 percent) among players with a minimum of 50 attempts. By the end of the season, Boswell had moved into fourth place all-time in the NFL with a field goal success rate over 88 percent.
Boswell was perhaps the biggest key to improved special teams play, but certainly was not alone.
Waitman in for Johnston
In 2023, the Steelers utilized the services of Pressley Harvin III. After some devastatingly bad punts, they reached out during free agency and signed veteran Cameron Johnston. After just two punts, Johnston was seriously injured in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons and spent the remainder of the season sidelined.
That twist of fate opened the door for Waitman, a somewhat rare left-footed punter, to return to the team after spending time on the practice squad prior to 2023.
Waitman’s 46.4 yards per punt average certainly gave Steelers opponents more of a challenge in ball placement to open drives, but his unique style set up several opportunities for members of the coverage team to run down muffed return attempts.
That coverage team allowed just over 7 yards per punt return, finishing the season ranked sixth in the league (lowest punt return average).
Other key players
Under the Dynamic Kickoff rules, implemented for the first time in 2024, the Steelers had Calvin Austin III primarily handle punt return duties while Cordarrelle Patterson and Jaylen Warren primarily split kickoff return duties. Austin finished with a 10.3-yard return average and one 73-yard return the house.
Averaging 23.0 yards per return on kickoffs wasn’t stellar for the Steelers, but all 32 NFL teams had learning curves when it came to the new kickoff rules. That should improve for Pittsburgh in 2025.
Miles Killebrew, a long-time special teams ace, earned All-Pro votes as did James Pierre and Kuntz at long-snapper.
Other notables:
Ben Skowronek scooped up a muffed punt return by Kadarius Toney in Week 14 that was turned into a Steelers touchdown over the Cleveland Browns.
Jeremiah Moon, Dean Lowry, and Isaiahh Loudermilk each blocked a kick in 2024 for a total of three ways the Steelers hurt opponents while boosting up coordinator Danny Smith’s reputation.
