Mitch Trubisky wasn’t the only Steelers player to earn his walking papers today. The team announced that they’ve also cut offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor and punter Pressley Harvin III.
[RELATED: Steelers, QB Mitch Trubisky Part Ways]
Okorafor joined the Steelers as a third-round pick in 2018. He got into 77 games across his six seasons with the organization, including a three-year stretch between 2020 and 2022 where he started 48 of his 49 appearances. He also started a pair of playoff games for the Steelers.
The lineman’s 55-game starting streak ended this past season when he was benched for disciplinary reasons. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Broderick Jones, and the rookie ended up playing the majority of the snaps at right tackle for the rest of the year.
Okorafor inked a three-year, $29.25MM extension with the Steelers back in 2022. He was set to earn $4.75MM via base salary and $4MM in roster bonuses next season. As Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes, the development of Jones coupled with the minuscule $1.23MM cap hit from Dan Moore Jr. made it easier to move on from the veteran Okorafor.
Harvin has spent the past three seasons as Pittsburgh’s primary punter. The 2021 seventh-round pick has continued to build off a rookie campaign where he earned All-Rookie Team honors. He finished this past season landing a career-high 38.5 percent of his punts inside the 20. He was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract.
Easy to land your punts inside the 20 when you punt from the 50
case in point why it’s a horrible metric
Honestly disturbing that he lasted this long. He was by far the most inconsistent game punter I’ve seen
Yeah you’d see booming punts followed by 30 yd shanks. But then in practice he’d beat out the competition. Maybe it’s just the game day yips. In any event, we can do better
Harvin is the most inconsistent punter I’ve ever seen but I get why the team stuck with him a year or two longer than he probably deserved based on his performance. When he’s on he’s probably the best punter in the league. The shanks always come to mind first but he dropped some absolutely perfectly placed balls on the goal line, could put the ball 50+ yards downfield with enough hang time for the gunners to set up by the returner hoping he muffs his fair catch and if necessary just send the ball 70 yards away. Can’t teach or develop that kind of leg power.
Harvin shoulda been gone long ago
I don’t understand why Harvin bombed. He has the talent and physique to be a great punter. Real shame. So, we’re using a draft pick on a new punter then?
Dan Smith changed his style.
That actually makes me very happy
He cost us more games than any other player EVER!