Steelers special teams coordinator hints Pittsburgh will draft a new return man
The new coordinator isn’t hiding the Steelers draft plans.
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - APRIL 25: A general view of the video board with The Pick Is In for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft on April 25, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Steelers had sort of a revolving door of return men during the 2025 season. They relied heavily on their running backs to return kickoffs, which is simply not very practical given the injury risk that kickoffs have.
The punt returning was largely handled by Calvin Austin when he was healthy, however, Austin signed with the New York Giants in free agency. Now, the Steelers aren’t hiding that they will make an effort to acquire a full-time return man in the 2026 NFL Draft. During his media availability on Friday, Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Crossman did not hide his interest in adding a return man to the team during next week’s draft, as reported by Nick Farabaurgh of Penn Live .
Crossman said there were lots of options he viewed as “high upside” players. He also provided what exactly he is looking for in a return man. “It’s catch, run, cut.
You see guys cut on air before they catch the ball. But that’s not what we want to do. And there’s an element of fearlessness to it.