Chris Boswell has spent the past four seasons with the Steelers, but his tenure in Pittsburgh could be coming to an end. In his 53-man roster predictions, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic writes that the veteran kicker isn’t a shoo-in to make the team.
The 2014 undrafted free agent out of Rice had stops with the Texans and Giants before joining the Steelers in 2015. Boswell quickly became a mainstay of the Steelers’ special teams unit, appearing in 58 regular-season games over the past four years. The 28-year-old was more than solid during his first three years with Pittsburgh, including a 2017 campaign during which he earned a Pro Bowl nod.
However, Boswell struggled mightily in 2018. The kicker connected on only 65 percent of his field-goal attempts, and he also converted a subpar 89.6 percent of his extra-point chances. The front office reworked Boswell’s contract back in May, delaying his $2M bonus until after the club’s final preseason game. (The kicker was originally set to collect the bonus in March.) This buys the Steelers some extra time as they evaluate the position, while Boswell gets a chance at redemption.
If the Steelers do decide to move on from Boswell, the team could turn to Central Florida rookie Matthew Wright. However, Kaboly says it’s more likely that the team pursues whichever free agent is cut loose during the preseason.
While there are question marks surrounding the Steelers’ kicker, the rest of their special teams unit seems set. Kaboly writes that punter Jordan Berry and long snapper Kameron Canaday are “secure.”
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