To round out 2026 expectations, we’re looking at how the Pittsburgh Steelers special teams must improve under new coordinator Danny Crossman. It might not be as intriguing as the offensive and defensive changes, but special teams will play a key role in the team’s performance.
1. Kick Return Average: 24.2 yards (28th League-Wide)
An issue I’ve harped on and will continue to repeat until it’s fixed. Pittsburgh’s two years under the new kick return model have been a failure, and the Steelers lag behind every other team.
In 2024, the team’s chance on Cordarrelle Patterson went up in flames. Last year, the Steelers struggled to find viable return candidates and spent most of the season with their starting running backs, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, handling those duties.
Pittsburgh must find potency here. That’s why the Steelers drafted Iowa’s Kaden Wetjen to primarily handle those duties. He must prove to be the correct pick and continue his college success.
2. Punt Return Long: 25 yards (T-23rd League-Wide)
Pittsburgh’s punt return average was a slightly more respectable 21st at 8.8 yards, but the team’s longest runback was just 25 yards. That came not from Calvin Austin III but Scotty Miller in the team’s Week 17 loss to the Cleveland Browns. On 15 tries, Austin’s longest return was just 12 yards. That’s ugly.
A big return can flip the field and change the course of a game. Wetjen figures to start here, too, and his impact must be felt.
3. Penalties: 23 (Most In AFC North)
Pittsburgh’s special teams committed 23 penalties last season. That was most of any AFC North team. Here’s the count:
Special Team Penalties (2025)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 23
Baltimore Ravens: 22
Cincinnati Bengals: 16
Cleveland Browns: 11
Pittsburgh’s total was also one of the higher figures in the AFC. Only the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders had more (the Kansas City Chiefs tied Pittsburgh with 23).
Penalties were an up-and-down problem under Danny Smith. It was resolved in recent years, but the Steelers regressed in 2025. Crossman must get the unit buttoned up in his first season.
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