Aside from a one-season sabbatical last year, Danny Crossman has been an NFL special teams coordinator for two decades.
It would be impossible to quantify how many individual players have been under his purvey throughout that time. But through his experiences, the 59-year-old Crossman learned that each man of his unit can be reached in a different manner.
“Conceptually, everything we do is going to be about the players,” said Crossman, a Pitt alumnus. “I’m not going to try and jam anything. We’re going to give players information. Some guys are going to use part of it, some guys will use all of it.”
While not as high-profile as offense or defense, Crossman joins those respective coordinators as the new men in charge of the Steelers’ units as part of new head coach Mike McCarthy’s staff. But while there are players on the current roster on offense and defense who have worked under multiple coordinators while with the Steelers, for the specialists virtually all they had known in black and gold was Danny Smith.
Crossman isn’t the only new personnel among the Steelers’ special teams units, either.
There will be a new captain.
A new punt returner who probably also will double as a new kick returner.
A new (old) punter.
Even a new lieutenant special teams coach in Darian Thompson — himself a replacement for Derius Swinton, who parted ways with the organization in May less than four months after he was hired.
Combined with plenty of new faces in many of the rank-and-file coverage and return roles, there’s no doubting the Steelers’ special teams will have a noticably different look in 2026.
“We’re going to coach the daylights out of them,” Crossman said, “and try and get them better.”
A breakdown of that particulars of the unit:
Kicker
With rare exception because of injury, Boswell joined Smith as a rare constant among the Steelers’ special teams since he joined the organization in October 2015. This spring, the 35-year-old signed a four-year contract extension that matched the most lucrative deal ever given an NFL kicker.
“The money value doesn’t pay any respect to how you do on the field,” Boswell said. “I mean (just) because of the contract doesn’t mean I’m going to make or miss any more kicks.”
If the contract doesn’t change Boswell, rest assured that having a new coordinator won’t, either.
“It doesn’t change the ball, it doesn’t change the field, it doesn’t change my leg,” he said. “Everybody’s got different X’s and O’s, and you learn to adjust to who calls what their way. But affecting me kicking, per se, I don’t see any issue with that at all.”
Punter
Two years ago at this time of year the Steelers felt comfortable that they had finally steadied their volatile punting game by signing Cameron Johnston. It was quite the circuitous route, but in the end Johnston did become their punter a few years down the line.
One of the NFL’s most respected at his position, Johnston suffered a torn ACL during his Steelers regular-season debut in 2024. Instead, as a result, it was Corliss Waitman who succeeded the underachieving Pressley Harvin III. Waitman then beat out Johnston during last year’s training camp and preseason and held the job in 2025.
But the Steelers decided to turn back to Johnston, signing him as a free agent in March while letting Waitman walk.
“It’s good to have (Johnston) back in the building,” Boswell said. “Especially, being a vet punter, he knows the ins and outs of the game, (including) holding (for placekicks). There’s nothing we’ve really got to talk about (in terms of adjustments).”
Long snapper
Like Johnston, on the camp-opening 90-man roster, Christian Kuntz has no competition at long snapper. The graduate of both Chartiers Valley and Duquesne has performed the Steelers’ snapping duties for each of the team’s 89 games (including playoffs) since he first won the gig in 2021.
Kuntz’s ironman streak almost came to an end last season when he suffered a broken sternum during the preseason. A December knee injury also had his status in question. The Steelers signed a veteran reinforcement each time — but Kuntz played on.
The organization feels comfortable enough with Kuntz that last month it released former Pitt snapper Cal Adomitis.
Return men
When Calvin Austin III walked in free agency in March, gone was the Steelers’ primary punt returner from the past three seasons. Last season’s leader in kickoff returns — running back Kenneth Gainwell — also departed as a free agent.
The Steelers intend to fill both holes with one man: rookie Kaden Wetjen. Wetjen had better show proficiency in both roles after the team invested a fourth-round pick in him despite little belief he will perform more than a bit role on offense.
“His résumé speaks for itself,” general manager Omar Khan said of Wetjen, who each of the past two seasons was honored with the Jet Award as the college football’s best return man.
“Just look at his stats. … It was a need position. He was the top guy in that area, in my opinion.”
Jaylen Warren (kickoffs), Donte Kent (punts), Max Hurleman (punts), Eli Heidenreich and D’Shawn Jamison are among other return-man options if for whatever reason Wetjen doesn’t work out.
‘Core teamers’
Veteran Miles Killebrew was another exit in free agency, taking with him a decade of NFL experience — the past five with the Steelers, including three as the special teams captain and one as an All Pro.
The odds-on favorite to take his place as captain is Ben Skowronek, a receiver by trade who last season was named to the Pro Bowl for his special-teams ability.
Skowronek is joined by Jack Sawyer and Payton Wilson as the three who played the most special-teams snaps for the 2025 Steelers and who are back this season. But of the next five who played most on “teams” last season, only Carson Bruener is back.
It would not be surprising if Skowronek, Sawyer and Bruener are joined by second-year Sebastian Castro, veteran free-agent signee Travis Homer and rookies Daylen Everette and Robert Spears-Jennings as prominent “core” special teamers in 2026.
Then again, that will shake itself out over the preseason. And it will remain fluid throughout the season.
“My philosophy is once you establish your role, excel in that role until it changes,” Crossman said. “I’ve had guys that have been two-phase players in Week 1, they’re four-phase players in Week 6, and by Week 12 I don’t get them because they’re playing 65 plays on offense or defense.
“So, those roles change — but whatever your role is, daily or weekly, excel in that role and don’t worry about the rest of it. So, I don’t worry about the past, I’m worried about the present.”