Why Steelers Special Teamers Matter

Now that the 53-man roster is pretty much set and the practice squad is filling out, a familiar debate has surfaced once again in Steelers Nation. Many fans have raised eyebrows at names like Connor Heyward and James Pierre sticking around. On paper, these are not the players who make fans rush to buy jerseys or light up highlight reels. Yet the reality is that Pittsburgh has built a culture where players such as Heyward, Pierre, Miles Killebrew, Ben Skowronek, and others matter just as much as the stars. They may not be flashy, but they are essential.

Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Steelers have quietly built a formula for survival and success. They are 17–2 in games where they avoid turnovers, and they have won 65 percent of contests decided by six points or less. That is no coincidence. A stingy defense deserves plenty of credit, but special teams cannot be overlooked. Hidden yardage, momentum swings, and sudden splash plays often tilt the balance in close games, and Pittsburgh has been among the league’s best at producing them.

Take Miles Killebrew, for example. He has blocked multiple punts in his career, one of which was returned for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills in 2021. That play completely flipped the season opener and helped deliver a massive road win. More recently, during the 2024 season in Washington, Olamide Zaccheaus muffed a punt and Ben Skowronek pounced on the loose ball deep in Commanders territory. That recovery set up a quick touchdown drive, and the Steelers went on to win a tight 28–27 battle on the road. Without that heads-up play, the outcome could have been very different.

This is exactly the kind of game-changing value special teams provides. Fans do not get hyped to see these players on offense or defense, and sometimes they may cringe if one of them is pressed into a skill position role. But when the special teams unit takes the field, Steelers fans know they are in good hands. In fact, there have been stretches where special teams has felt more reliable than the offense. Whether it is a muffed punt, a forced fumble, or a blocked kick, these are the plays that flip the script, and Pittsburgh delivers them more consistently than most franchises. Add in Chris Boswell, arguably the most reliable kicker in the league when the game is on the line, and the combination becomes lethal. When you stack up these moments across the past few seasons, it is no wonder the Steelers keep finding ways to survive and thrive in close contests.

A major reason for this success is the steady hand of Special Teams Coordinator Danny Smith. His animated sideline demeanor is easy to spot, but his impact goes far beyond energy. When roster decisions tighten near the bottom of the depth chart, Smith’s voice carries weight. These are not glamorous roles, and they are rarely filled by first-round picks or household names. They are gritty, high-focus, multi-role assignments, most often given to undrafted players or late-round selections who carve out careers by embracing the grind. Smith molds them into reliable contributors, players who treat every snap as if it were the Super Bowl.

The truth is simple. Teams cannot be built solely on stars. A roster packed with elite names looks good on paper, but many football games are won in the margins, in the less visible areas where a single play can swing the outcome. The Steelers know this as well as anyone. They have leaned on discipline, defense, and special teams while missing a franchise quarterback. That formula has kept them relevant in a brutally competitive AFC, and it explains why they are so comfortable winning games that other teams routinely lose.

So while the casual fan may groan when they see names like Heyward, Pierre, Killebrew, or Skowronek on the roster, the coaching staff knows exactly what it is getting. These players are glue guys, the kind who hold everything together and can quietly decide outcomes. They do not generate headlines, and you will not find them topping fantasy football leaderboards, but you can bet their fingerprints are on a surprising number of victories.

And the next time Pittsburgh wins another nail-biter by a field goal or survives a game decided in the final minutes, remember that it probably was not just T.J. Watt making the difference. It might have been a blocked field goal, a gunner forcing a fumble, or a sure-handed role player diving on a muffed kick. Those are the hidden plays that have kept the Steelers competitive, and they are why the bottom of the roster matters just as much as the top.

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