Steelers Bring Back Familiar Face as Competition for Punter Pressley Harvin

Getty The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Brad Wing to their practice squad on January 10.

For the second time this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have signed punter Brad Wing.

The Steelers announced on their official X (formerly Twitter) account on January 10 that they added Wing to their practice squad.

This will be Wing’s third stint with the team, including second this season. Wing appeared in two games for the Steelers as a practice squad elevation in October.

Pittsburgh released Wing from its practice squad on October 9.

The Steelers added Wing on their practice squad after punter Pressley Harvin struggled in Week 18 and experienced an inconsistent 2023 season.

Steelers Sign Punter Brad Wing

Wing made his NFL debut with the Steelers during the 2014 season. He averaged 43.7 yards per punt and 38.8 net yards per attempt that year.

But the Steelers replaced Wing with Jordan Berry the following season.

After a three-year stint with the New York Giants and tenures in other football leagues — the AAF and XFL — Wing returned to the Steelers as a practice squad signing on September 27.

Wing played against the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens while Harvin was injured. Wing posted 45 yards per punt and 38.9 net yards per attempt in those two contests.

He also pinned the opposition inside its 20-yard line three times in those games.

Wing has punted in 66 NFL games for the Steelers and Giants. He’s averaged 44.7 yards per punt in his career. He’s also recorded 38.8 net yards per punt and pinned opposing offenses inside the 20-yard line 30.7% of the time.

The Inconsistencies of Punter Pressley Harvin

There’s no official report that the Steelers are bringing in Wing to push Harvin. But it’s difficult not to read it that way.

Adding a punter ahead of a postseason game is an indication that the team has questions about its regular punter or that he’s dealing with an injury.

Harvin posted adequate 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.

In 47 career NFL games, Harvin has posted similar statistics to Wing. Harvin has recorded 43.7 yards per punt and 39.4 net yards per attempt. He has a very low touchback rate of 6.5% and has pinned opposing offenses inside the 20-yard line on 34.6% of his punts.

However, Harvin rarely has his punts land inside the 10-yard line.

The New York Post’s Dylan Svoboda reported that the point over/under total from Caesars Sportsbook dropped a full touchdown because of the weather forecast for the Steelers playoff matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Temperatures are expected to be in the low 20s, and there could be snow.

Wind gusts could also hit as high as 60 mph.

Because of the poor weather, the postseason contest could be a low-scoring affair. Punting will be important, especially if the wind is a factor.

The Steelers had an opening on their practice squad for Wing because they released quarterback Trace McSorley. Also on January 9, the Steelers signed linebacker David Perales to the practice squad after releasing safety Nate Meadows.