Pittsburgh Steelers LS Christian Kuntz exited the team’s second preseason game against the Tampa Buccaneers in the first quarter with an injury, and we now know the extent of it. Per The Pat McAfee Show’s Mark Kaboly, Kuntz suffered a sternum injury, and his sternum is believed to be broken.
The injury would cause him to miss “several weeks to months,” per Kaboly.
Steelers LS Christian Kuntz' injury is his sternum. It is believed to be broken, according to a source. That would keep him out for several weeks to months.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) August 18, 2025
With Kuntz leaving the game, the Steelers turned to DL Logan Lee as their emergency long snapper, but the team also worked out four long snappers yesterday. The team will likely make a roster move to add another long snapper ahead of their practice today, with Kuntz’s injury fairly severe.
Kuntz has not missed a regular season game since becoming Pittsburgh’s starting long snapper in 2021. It will be a change to Pittsburgh’s special teams operation bringing someone else in, and a snapper that the team’s punters aren’t going to be as familiar with when it comes to punting and holding. There are still a few weeks until Week 1, but it will be important to get the operation down smoothly, and watching the new snapper in action on Thursday night will be one of the bigger storylines in the Steelers’ final preseason game.
If Kuntz did indeed suffer a broken sternum, it’s hard to see him getting back in time for Week 1. It’s an injury that take 8-12 weeks of recovery, per Web MD, putting Kuntz’s return somewhere around midseason if it does take him that long. Even a shorter timeframe of 6-8 weeks would still cause him to miss multiple regular season games.
It’s unlikely the Steelers put Kuntz on IR now if they feel he can return at some point this season, so the team may wait to make that move during final roster cuts, making Kuntz eligible to return. That would mean the team would likely need to make another roster move to clear space for a new long snapper, and we should find out today what that move is.
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