Ben Skowronek is the kind of wide receiver who can play 20 snaps without a target and have what his coaches consider a good game. That’s not surprising for a guy who would rather be called a football player than wide receiver. But while he isn’t on the top of the depth chart, he is the sort of player who makes a team better.
“Ben [Skowronek]’s the kind of guy that you don’t want on other teams. You like him on your team,” Zach Azzanni, his position coach, said of him recently.
I don’t know that there is a better or more fitting compliment for him. Sure, he’s probably not going to score many 80-yard, catch-and-run touchdowns. But he might help block for one, or force a fumble on a punt, or do one of those little things you’re not going to notice that makes a difference. Maybe even draw an amusing little 15-yard penalty here and there.
“He’s a guy that does all the dirty work. He’s the goon, if you will, and he’s a sneaky good receiver, too,” Azzanni said of Skowronek. “He’s a talented kid. People don’t give him enough credit for that because of the other things that he does so well on special teams and carrying the run, fighting for us. But he’s also a very talented receiver, which he proved in college.”
“I’m glad he’s on our team.”
The Steelers clearly feel that way. They initially signed Ben Skowronek to their practice squad after the Rams cut him last season. He started the year as a weekly practice squad elevation to play gunner. By March, they were signing him to a two-year contract, eager for more.
Already this season, Skowronek has had his Skowronek moments, including one moment of glory. He caught a 22-yard touchdown as the Steelers’ first points of the season, even if that is the only touchdown he’ll score in the Black and Gold.
Maybe it will be, maybe it won’t be. Who knows? Right now, we’re not even sure how much help the Steelers will need at wide receiver. While Calvin Austin III is dealing with a shoulder injury, there is no information about his near-term availability.
But Skowronek is going to get some snaps regardless of who else is available, quite simply because he does the things that others don’t. When you have the willingness to call yourself Skow Dirt, I think that says what you bring to the table.
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