The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2023 season came to a screeching halt following a Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his team made a game of it to an extent, but costly turnovers and a spectacular performance from Josh Allen stopped them from advancing to the Divisional Round. There are plenty of things to address in the 2024 offseason for the organization, but one thing is certain: Tomlin will be back as the team's leader and has many areas of the roster to improve. There will be tons of meetings in the upcoming weeks and one of the more underrated ones will be regarding a critical special teams position.
Tomlin spoke to the media on Thursday during his annual offseason press conference. There were a plethora of topics brought up with plenty of attention focusing on the quarterback positions and coaching staff. Pittsburgh had many issues and inconsistencies in 2023, but one of the more glaring problems came at the foot of punter, Pressley Harvin III.
Towards the end of the media session, Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan asked the head coach if there would be changes coming at the punting position in the offseason. In the preseason, Braden Mann was brought in to compete with Harvin III, but the 2021 draft pick ended up winning the job. Tomlin was concise in his response and Harvin III should be worrying about his job security.
"You know, I'll acknowledge that Pressley was not consistent enough, particularly down the stretch," Tomlin said.
The most important part of that statement from Tomlin comes at the end. Against Buffalo, Harvin III punted four times and averaged just 38.5 yards per boot. The weather wasn't ideal, but there are no excuses in a game that field position was a huge factor if the Steelers wanted to come up with a win. Harvin III will likely get a shot to compete again in 2024, but Pittsburgh can't be blinded by strong preseason performances.
Former Steelers punter Josh Miller was worried about Harvin's ability to punt well in Buffalo given the conditions and he was right, but it has been a problem for a long time, regardless of weather. He has consistently shown promise in the preseason when the pressure is not as heavy, but then has failed in all three of his seasons to live up to expectations.
For context, out of 33 eligible punters, Harvin III was ranked 32nd in yards per punt in 2023. He averaged just 43.8 and there were several games that saw opponents receive tremendous field position. With an inconsistent offense, poor punting is one of the main things that can eliminate a team's chances of being competitive on any given Sunday.
One of the main reasons that he has been able to stick around is his holding ability. He and Chris Boswell are consistently on the same page and he demonstrated the ability to succeed in that role ever since his rookie year. That can be looked at as the big reason for keeping him around, especially towards the end of the year when each game had playoff implications. Now, Tomlin has an entire offseason to address and fix what's going on in the punting area.
Steelers Have Plenty Of Work To Do In 2024 Offseason
There will be big changes coming in Pittsburgh. The head coach will remain the same, but clear issues need to be addressed. It's not far-fetched to think the unit could be a Super Bowl contender with a competent offensive coordinator and better quarterback play. Gaining small advantages in areas like special teams needs to be another big focus. Pittsburgh needs to bring in a punter that heads into training camp as the favorite to unseat Harvin III.
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