Is Chris Boswell the greatest Steelers kicker of all-time? Not yet

A recent tweet from Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly got me thinking: are we currently witnessing one of the greatest Steelers to ever play at a position? And no, I’m not talking about T.J. Watt and his impressive sack totals and Defensive Player of the Year Award a few seasons ago. I’m talking about kickers: specifically Chris Boswell.

After nailing a clutch 60-yard field goal that would prove to be the game-winner in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, the buzz around Boswell’s talent is at an all-time high. Yet, I had to pause and ponder if he’s the best kicker in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise.

That pause would lead me immediately to a great that’s often long forgotten: Gary Anderson.

For fans who followed the Steelers throughout the 1980’s, Anderson is far from forgotten. He was one of a few bright spots in an otherwise dismal decade of Pittsburgh football. However, for modern fans, he’s likely left out of “GOAT” conversations, as special teams players aren’t usually spoke of in the same vane as skill position stars.

Yet, Anderson is a name that should be brought back to the forefront of the fans. Recency bias has made us forget a Steelers legend, who I argue should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. During his thirteen seasons Anderson scored a lot of points. So many, in fact, he still holds the all-time Steelers scoring record (1,343 points). Boswell, however, is nipping at Anderson’s heels, having moved into second place with 1,127 points: a record “Boz” not should, but will eclipse if he continues on his consistent trajectory.

Anderson also holds team records for the most fields with 309 to Boswell’s 272, but Boswell now owns three of the top five seasons for a Steelers kicker with 41, 36, and 35 field goals total, surpassing that of Norm Johnson (34 in 1995) and Anderson’s season-high of 33 in 1985.

Boswell and Anderson have both converted six field goals in a single game, a team-high, but Boswell has accomplished this feat on three separate occasions to Anderson’s one. Boswell holds the record for highest percentage converted, as well as longest field goal in franchise history while Anderson’s 416 extra points paces him well ahead of Boz’ 311. Anderson has also made 202 consecutive point-after-attempts, a number unlikely to be matched with changes to league rules. (Boswell’s current streak stands at 67, stemming back from November 2017.)

Scoring statistics aside, Anderson also leads in accolades. While Boswell enters his eleventh season in the NFL, all with Pittsburgh, Anderson continued to play beyond his thirteen seasons with the Steelers for a total of 23 years. He was named to three Pro Bowls in Pittsburgh, while earning another – and an All-Pro nod – in 1998 with the Minnesota Vikings. In that season, Anderson became the first NFL kicker to make every field goal and extra point attempt in the regular season.

Boswell earned his first All-Pro last season after leading the league in kicks, but only has one other Pro Bowl nod on his resume from 2017.

That’s where the accolades start to dramatically shift in Anderson’s favor. Can you name how many players have been named to an NFL All-Decade team, let alone named to two?

Anderson is one of the rare players to transcend eras, having been named to the all 1980’s and 1990’s teams. Anderson was also named to the Steelers All-Time Team during the organization’s 75th season celebration in 2007. (Oddly, he has yet to be inducted into their recently new Hall of Honor.)

Anderson has also played the third-most games in NFL history and holds several more league records. However, that doesn’t mean that Boswell isn’t carving out his own niche in history. At age 34, Boswell has plenty of time to catch the records of Anderson and others.

That brings me back to the original point: fans may be witnessing all-time greatness in real-time. While I don’t personally believe Boswell is the greatest kicker in Steelers history, he’s climbed into the conversation as the next greatest… and he will only continue to climb as he begins passing Gary’s records within the next few seasons.