Ben Sauls is going out with a bang. Though he’s not going to make the 53-man roster, he put together good tape in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers. In a night defined by otherwise sloppy play, Sauls was consistent from start to finish. He ended the game 4-of-4 with a long of 50 yards, earning praise from Mike Tomlin after the Steelers’ 19-10 win.
“Really happy for Ben Sauls,” Tomlin told reporters via the team’s YouTube channel. “The work he was able to show us tonight, man, good for him.”
A rookie from Pitt, Sauls has seen the majority of training camp and preseason work while Chris Boswell’s leg has been rested – and as he seeks a revised contract. Sauls took advantage of the extra reps. In three preseason games he made 5-of-6 field goals and all six of his extra points. The first of which came from nearly 50 yards after TE Darnell Washington’s goal-post dunk backed the kicking unit up.
Sauls can’t take all the credit. He’s thankful for the vets who have shown him the NFL way.
“To have guys who have been there and done that for years,” he told Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews post-game. “I mean, the age gap, I think the second youngest is 30, maybe 31. I just turned 24 a couple weeks ago. I’m a breath of fresh air for these guys. But they’ve been there, they’ve done that.
“They reassure me out on the field. And to have them with me this whole way. That’s why we just got a silly picture of us. Because I really appreciate what they’ve done for me and. And they really took me in and showed me the ropes. So I’m looking forward to building that relationship further.”
The “silly picture” was shared on Chris Boswell’s Instagram accounts, Sauls lifted up by Boswell and punters Corliss Waitman and Cameron Johnston, the latter two serving as his all-important holders throughout the summer.
Sauls was also the winner of the Steelers’ annual training camp home run derby, breaking up a run of quarterbacks who took home the prize. But the swing of his leg and not his bat was what mattered most.
“I was looking to have a beautiful night to do it,” Sauls told Matthews post-game.
There were plenty of reasons why Sauls’ summer could’ve been a disaster. A rookie kicker. A left-footed one at that, rare in the NFL world. Three different long snappers: Christian Kuntz followed by Logan Lee, and Jake McQuaid after Kuntz suffered a sternum injury early in the second preseason game.
While Sauls will be part of roster cutdowns Tuesday, his NFL career isn’t over. Should Pittsburgh ever need a kicker midseason, Sauls could be on speed dial. He’s kicked at Acrisure Stadium plenty before and succeeded in adverse weather conditions. Matthew Wright was once an undrafted free agent who stood no chance to unseat Boswell. He had a good camp, stuck around in the league, and has made 55 field goals across five NFL seasons. In fact, he was on the other sideline Thursday night, battling for the Panthers’ kicking gig.
Even if Sauls’ time in Pittsburgh ultimately ends here, he has a great story to share.
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