There is one question asked about possible Pittsburgh Steelers draft picks almost every year: Can he be a quality kick returner?
The Steelers have tried numerous avenues to enhance their kickoff return unit since Mike Tomlin was hired in 2007, and most of them have failed.
Willie Reid, who was drafted by Bill Cowher, was a dud after excelling as a returner at Florida State. Former All-Pro Eddie Drummond couldn’t make the team after the 2008 pre-season. Using big backs like Najeh Davenport and Gary Russell was just perplexing.
In 2009, a little-known running back from the Canadian Football League named Stefan Logan seemed to solidify the return game after he set a team record for kick return average in a season.
Logan, however, ended up being released in favor of none other than Antonio Brown after the 2010 pre-season, due to the former being a one-dimensional player. Brown was retained due both his potential as a wide receiver and his ability to return kicks.
Despite returning a kickoff for a touchdown in his first pro game, Brown was only active for nine games. In 2011, Brown appeared to be the solution to the Steelers’ return woes when he set a club record for all-purpose yards with 2,211 – 1,062 on returns – and finished fifth in the NFL in yards per kick return. He made the Pro Bowl as both a wide receiver and returner.
But while he has continued to excel as a punt returner, Brown has only returned two kickoffs since 2011.
Much of the reluctance to use Brown on kick returns was due to injury concerns, so the Steelers drafted Chris Rainey to fill the role in 2012.
Rainey had a nice rookie season, finishing seventh in the NFL in return average. But, his stay in Pittsburgh was short lived after he was released before the 2013 season due to domestic dispute.
Former Pittsburgh Panther Larod Stephens-Howling opened as the kick returner in 2013, but he tore his ACL after just one game. Felix Jones assumed the role after, and struggled.
The Steelers decided to spend a third-round pick in the 2014 draft on Dri Archer to solve their kick return woes. Archer, who ran the second fastest 40-yard dash time ever at the time, was one of college football’s most decorated return men ever after returning four kick returns for touchdowns in his last two season at Kent State.
But with the Steelers, Archer struggled to properly use his speed and follow blockers, and opposing teams had little difficulty bringing down the 5-foot, 8-inch returner. He began to find his rhythm in 2015, but was cut midway through the year in favor of Jacoby Jones.
The former All-Pro and Super Bowl champion Jones was seen as the player who would finally bring stability to the kick return game, and allow Brown to not have to return punts. Jones, however, ended up being a disaster with the Steelers, fumbling three times in four games before being deactivated, then released. Markus Wheaton finished the season as kick returner.
While Wheaton has put up some decent numbers as kick returner, the Steelers may opt for another player to serve that role since Wheaton is one of the team’s starting receivers.
If the Steelers address their need for a kick returner in the draft or free agency remains to be seen. But if they do, they better hope to have better luck than they’ve had recently with their next man up.
