The Pittsburgh Steelers' front office has already made some splashes in the early 2024 free agency period as they signed Patrick Queen and traded away Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. They have also made some needed moves, especially on special teams. They started by signing Cameron Johnston to replace Pressley Harvin III, they then re-signed long snapper Christian Kuntz, and now they have re-signed All-Pro Miles Killebrew.
Killebrew was an underrated game changer for the Steelers in 2023, and they were at risk of losing him after his contract expired following the conclusion of the 2023 season. He entered free agency, but Omar Khan and the Steelers were quickly able to re-sign the Pro Bowler for another two years. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler was the first to break the news of the signing.
The re-signing of Killebrew was the third move made by the Steelers during free agency that addressed special teams. It is clearly a focus for the front office. In the Steelers' first matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, Killebrew blocked a punt which went out of the back of the end zone, resulting in a safety. Those two points were critical for the Steelers victory, and really swung the momentum of the game.
Due to a depleted defensive backfield, Killebrew also saw a good amount of playing time at safety when filling in for injured players. He had 26 total tackles, and didn't record a single missed tackle on the year. 2023 was Killebrew's third season in Pittsburgh, and he earned himself an impressive two-year contract that is near the top of the market for a skill player that primarily plays on special teams.
Steelers Manage To Keep Their Special Teams Core Intact
Re-signing Killebrew and Kuntz on the same day during free agency shows how valuable the Steelers consider special teams. Punting has been an issue over the past several seasons, and Pittsburgh quickly addressed the problem by releasing Harvin earlier in the offseason and going out and signing a punter on the first day of free agency. With the punting game bound to improve, the always reliable kicker in Chris Boswell, and retaining two of their most valuable special teams players in Kuntz and Killebrew, the Steelers have quietly put together one of the best special teams units in the league.
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