Steelers Bring Back Familiar Face as Competition for Punter Pressley Harvin
Punter Brad Wing has been signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers for the second time this season.
via January 10, the Steelers announced that Wing had joined their practice squad via their official X (previously Twitter) account.
Wing has spent three seasons with the team, the second of which he is doing now. Wing was elevated from the practice squad to play in two Steelers games in October.
On October 9, Pittsburgh cut Wing from their practice squad.
Punter Pressley Harvin had a rough 2023 season and struggled in Week 18, thus the Steelers added Wing to their practice squad.
Steelers Sign Punter Brad Wing
In the 2014 season, Wing made his NFL debut with the Steelers. 38.8 net yards per attempt and 43.7 yards per punt were his averages.
However, the next season, Jordan Berry took Wing’s position on the Steelers.
On September 27, Wing signed back with the Steelers as a practice squad member following a three-year stay with the New York Giants and stints in the AAF and XFL.
While Harvin was out with an injury, Wing was active against the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens. In the two games, Wing recorded 45 yards per punt and 38.9 net yards each attempt.
He also pinned the opposition inside its 20-yard line three times in those games.
With the Steelers and Giants, Wing has punted in 66 NFL games. Throughout his career, he has averaged 44.7 yards per punt. In addition, he has pinned opposition offenses inside the 20-yard line 30.7% of the time and achieved 38.8 net yards per punt.
Pressley Harvin, a punter, has inconsistent behavior.
The Steelers are not officially said to be bringing in Wing to pressure Harvin. It’s hard not to read it that way, though.
When a punter is added before a postseason game, it usually means that the club is worried about their regular punter or that he is injured.
Harvin posted adequate punter totals in his third NFL season. However, he was wildly inconsistent again in 2023.
His Week 18 performance against the Ravens was a microcosm of his season. He had a 53-yard punt, but he also had a 26-yard punt that landed at Baltimore’s 35-yard line.
Although Harvin also had 2 punts land inside the 20-yard line, they barely did. One landed at the 19-yard line while the other stopped rolling at the 18.
