The Pittsburgh Steelers have several roster spots up for grabs this year. Many of the hidden ones will come on special teams, the overlooked unit that will dictate the final few players who make the initial 53-man squad. One spot Pittsburgh must fill is the upback, or personal protector, on the punt team. The quarterback of the unit is responsible for identifying the potential rushers, the blocking scheme between himself and the snapper, and signaling the snapper to hike the ball.<\/p>\n
Miles Killebrew held that role for several years but tore his ACL midway through last year and followed Danny Smith to Tampa Bay.<\/a><\/p>\n Pittsburgh primarily replaced Killebrew with Jabrill Peppers, logging 35 upback snaps in his place last year. Peppers remains a free agent and is doubtful to return. Who on the 91-man roster will take over? Training camp and the preseason will sort that out, but here\u2019s a list of candidates. Keep in mind the position generally looks for someone with some size. At least 200 pounds.<\/p>\n Candidates Skowronek briefly held the upback role for a week or two last year as the team scrambled to replace Killebrew. He has the skill set to play virtually anywhere on the punt team, but still seems best suited as the ace gunner he was throughout last year. Especially with the team already replacing James Pierre, taking Skowronek out of that spot isn\u2019t the wisest move for Danny Crossman.<\/p>\n S Sebastian Castro<\/p>\n Castro could be a strong candidate for the job. His path to making the 53 is clearly and solely through special teams. He received over 70 snaps there last season. Castro wasn\u2019t used as the PP in Pittsburgh during the regular season but saw action there during the preseason, leading us to compare Castro to a future Killebrew<\/a> in role and value. Here he is making a tackle from that spot last summer.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh\u2019s new coaching staff will have to decide whether to use him the same way, but I\u2019d expect Castro to get plenty of work here.<\/p>\n S Robert Spears-Jennings<\/p>\n Spears-Jennings is another candidate who makes plenty of sense. He has an extensive special teams background in college and, like Castro, has his path to the 53 going through special teams. The elements working against him are that he\u2019s a rookie and that the coaching staff might not feel comfortable putting him in charge of that role. He\u2019s also a little bigger and might fit better as a wing rather than the upback.<\/p>\n RB Eli Heidenreich<\/p>\n Heidenreich figures to get plenty of burn on special teams this summer. That will include the punt coverage unit. The question is where he aligns. That could come as a wing or even a gunner, doing some of the latter at Navy. Tasking a rookie to be the PP is a leap of faith, but Heidenreich has the work ethic and intelligence to be given a chance.<\/p>\n RB Travis Homer<\/p>\n Homer is Pittsburgh\u2019s most experienced option. He\u2019s served as the PP in the NFL for several years and has stuck to rosters almost exclusively because of his multi-phase special teams value<\/a>. Expect him to get reps here this summer, and he might open camp as the starter.<\/p>\n He checks a lot of boxes and is a sensible candidate. But his 53-man spot is also far from guaranteed, and he could get squeezed out by others.<\/p>\n RB Lew Nichols<\/p>\n Nichols saw just two punt coverage snaps last preseason, but to stick around for another year, he should be given every chance to work with the core units. Nichols is stuck in a crowded running back room and has to find as many ways to create value as possible. That\u2019ll come in other areas like a backup kick returner, but he could see action on the punt team. The question will be whether he\u2019s used as a wing or a personal protector.<\/p>\n S Jack Henderson<\/p>\n
\nWR Ben Skowronek<\/p>\n