He missed his entire rookie season with a calf injury that kept him on Injured Reserve, but that bump in the road didn’t hinder former sixth-round defensive lineman Logan Lee when it came to making the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster in Year 2.
Even with additions to the defensive line room, both through the 2025 NFL Draft and in free agency, Lee was able to do enough to stick around with the Black and Gold, and that has Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz fired up to see what the Iowa product can do in his second season.
On the latest episode of his podcast, Kuntz spoke highly of his teammate while also raving about second-year wide receiver Roman Wilson.
“I’m excited for Logan Lee. Logan didn’t get a chance to play last year.” Kuntz said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “Both [Lee and Wilson] came back, made the team this year. I don’t think people understand how hard it is to not play your rookie year and then come back and make a team. Like, bro, they drafted in the d-line room and they brought in d-line free agents. And Logan Lee still made the team. That’s huge. He worked his ass off and hats off to him.”
Coming out of Iowa, Lee was viewed as a versatile defensive lineman who could play up and down the line of scrimmage. Though he needed to add some weight, Lee was a guy with good hand usage and the ability to play the run, making him an intriguing depth option.
But the Steelers never quite got to see it last season as he ended up essentially taking a redshirt year.
He came back strong this summer though. His hand usage was even better as he was able to beat blocks during training camp while sliding up and down the line of scrimmage. But as Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora noted in his training camp grade of Lee, the second-year player still doesn’t have good enough play strength to consistently anchor and hold up in a larger role.
Where Lee really made his mark this summer was serving as the emergency long snapper in a preseason matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, replacing the injured Kuntz and doing an admirable job on punts and field goals. He had previously snapped in high school and was snapping on his own before practices in training camp, creating an opportunity for himself.
In the preseason, Lee played 48 defensive snaps. He graded out at just a 34.6 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a 30.0 overall against the run. He struggled mightily in the preseason finale against the Panthers against the run, but he did generate two pressures in 31 pass-rush snaps while seeing another 30 snaps on special teams.
He’s a versatile depth piece who could see some time on special teams this season. Chances are he’s inactive on game days unless injuries leave the defensive line thin. But it’s a credit to him even putting himself in this position after missing his entire rookie season.
Check out the full episode of The Christian Kuntz Podcast below.
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