When the Steelers announced their five captains at the beginning of the week, all were notable in some way. Mitch Trubisky got the nod from his teammates even before he was officially named the starting quarterback by his coach. Najee Harris, at 24, is the youngest player ever to be a captain under Mike Tomlin. T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward were chosen because they’re T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward.
But what about the fifth guy, Miles Killebrew? What makes him the right fit to be the special teams captain in Pittsburgh? A seventh-year veteran and second-year Steeler, Killebrew is eloquent, honest and insightful. Asking around the locker room this week, no one singled him out as eloquent, honest and insightful, because something else was more pertinent: He just makes plays.
“He works hard in practice, does things the right way and, obviously, brings results in games,” said fullback Derek Watt, last year’s special teams captain.
“Miles is an unbelievable player,” long-snapper Christian Kuntz said.
“He’s a guy that blocks punts. It’s very rare,” cornerback Arthur Maulet said.
As all three were referring to, Killebrew was the only player in the NFL last season to block not one, but two punts. With the Steelers entering Week 1 on the road as an underdog, it might be worth remembering that they were in the same position last year for their season opener, and it wasn’t Watt or Heyward or Harris who made the biggest play in the game.
It was Killebrew who knifed through the line and blocked a Bills punt five minutes into the fourth quarter, one that Ulysees Gilbert scooped up and returned for a touchdown to push the Steelers’ lead to 20-10. His second block of 2021, also early in the fourth quarter, on the road at the Chargers, allowed the Steelers to pull within one score and nearly turned around the momentum in that game, too.
The paradox of Killebrew is that the deeper he gets into his NFL career, he’s running out of time to make an impact at safety, the position he starred at for little-known Southern Utah University. But the more he proves himself in the third phase of the game, he develops a reputation around the league as a special teams ace.
“I’m a ‘professional teamer,’ no doubt — 100%,” said Killebrew, a fourth-round pick by Detroit in 2016. “That is a means in which I’ve been able to feed my family. It’s something we don’t take lightly here in Pittsburgh.”
Perhaps “PT” should be a position designation in the NFL. You have to be the most ardent of pro football fans to know names such as Matthew Slater, J.T. Gray and Nick Bellore. Those three have all been Pro Bowlers on special teams in recent years, but rarely — if ever — play offense or defense.
Slater is a wide receiver for the Patriots, Gray a safety for the Saints, Bellore a fullback for the Seahawks. They all played fewer than 44 snaps outside of their special teams duties, which is exactly how many Killebrew played on defense for the Steelers last season. Unlike an outside linebacker or a running back, those in Killebrew’s shoes only get a handful of chances each game to make their mark.
“You’re always at 100,” Killebrew smiled. “[Steelers special teams coordinator] Danny Smith says it best — and he’s always at 110, so we just try to match that — he always says we don’t get do-overs. There’s no ‘second down’ on punts.”
Whatever Smith and the Steelers are preaching on special teams, not only did it help Killebrew become an unsung force last year, but it’s helping other franchises around the league, too. Former Steelers linebacker Tyler Matakevich is a special teams captain for the Bills. Former Steelers pass rusher Ola Adeniyi has the same role for the Titans.
It’s not uncommon for the Steelers to keep around players like that solely for their special teams value. Before Killebrew, Jordan Dangerfield was a safety who rarely played on defense but shined covering kicks and punts. Before Dangerfield, hard-working linebacker Terence Garvin had nearly as many special teams tackles (33) as he did defensive snaps (50) from 2013-15.
“I know guys all across the league we play each week. Just like there are those guys you have to prepare for on offense and defense, there are guys on special teams,” said Watt, who led the Steelers with 14 special teams tackles last year. “It’s a huge part of the game that people overlook a lot.”
Killebrew was not overlooked as a captain, though he did call it a surprise. Teammates praise him for being detail-oriented, humble and willing to lead younger players. Watt called him “a likable guy” while Kuntz said he “looks out for everybody.”
Over his five years with the Lions, Killebrew was never named a captain, but he was the team representative for the players’ union through the difficult early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. And on the field, he was a role player for the defense, picking off a pass in each of his first two seasons, one of which he returned for a touchdown.
But he now has three blocks in the past two years, so he’s developing a bit of a knack for that. Killebrew, 29, re-signed with the Steelers in March on a two-year, $4 million deal, which was hardly a major move at the time. If he finds more magic on special teams, it will be well worth it.
“At some point, all of us wanted to be the quarterback, right? When we were 5, 6, 7 years old,” said Killebrew, who’s “pretty sure” he’s related to Hall of Fame slugger Harmon Killebrew somehow. “I joke with Christian Kuntz all the time, we didn't grow up thinking we were going to be a long-snapper. So, here’s the deal, we all have a role. We’re all contributing to success. And when we get that victory, we split it equally.
“You could say it’s swallowing your pride, but at the end of the day, I’m still a professional athlete making a bunch of money doing something I love. There’s only so many of us. I don't minimize my role. It’s something I love doing every day when I come into work, so I’m just going to keep doing it.”
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: September 11, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: September 11, 2022, 4:33 p.m.