Christian Kuntz

Christian Kuntz exited the Steelers’ second preseason game due to injury. The veteran long snapper is now set to miss time.

Kuntz suffered an injury to his sternum on Saturday, and Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show reports it is believed to be broken. Provided that is indeed the case, Kuntz is set to miss regular season time. The 31-year-old has handled a full 17-game slate during each of his first four Steelers campaigns.

That is set to change in 2025 based on his recovery period, however. Kuntz could be a candidate to begin the season on injured reserve depending on his prognosis. An IR stint would require at least a four-game absence to begin the campaign. Any missed time will be felt on special teams for the Steelers given the former UDFA’s performances so far in his career.

When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Mike Tomlin described Kuntz’s injury as being “short term” (h/t Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). That is certainly an encouraging update, though the possibility of missed time will remain depending on how the recovery process unfolds.

The Steelers announced on Monday that 14-year veteran Jake McQuaide has been signed. He will be tasked with replacing Kuntz for the time being. McQuiade has 197 regular season appearances to his name based on time spent with the Rams, Cowboys and Lions leading up to last season. In 2024, the two-time Pro Bowler played a total of seven games between the Vikings and Dolphins.

McQuaide’s Pro Bowl nods came during the 2016 and ’17 campaigns. A return to that form would come as a surprise, but the 37-year-old could offer stability to Pittsburgh as an injury fill-in as needed this season. It will be interesting to see how long Kuntz – under contract for another two years – is sidelined for and thus the length of time during which the Steelers will be without a key specialist.