Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers tried out four veteran long snappers on Sunday, one day after Christian Kuntz suffered a potentially serious injury in the team’s preseason loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Kuntz was injured making a tackle in punt coverage in the first half of what became a 17-14 loss to the Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium. He was ruled out of the rest of the game with a chest injury. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that they got some “good news” regarding Kuntz, who was taken from the stadium for further examination.
Defensive tackle Logan Lee took over the team’s long snapping duties. Punter Cameron Johnston said he did a “great job,” but it seems that Lee, who has not regular long snapped since high school, will only be a fill-in option at that position.
The Steelers hosted Rick Lovato, Jake McQuaide, Taybor Pepper and Patrick Scales for tryouts at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Sunday. All four are veterans with significant NFL experience.
Lovato, 32, won two Super Bowls with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2016-24 and also spent time with the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins earlier in his career.
McQuaide, 37, was a Pro Bowl long snapper for the Los Angeles Rams in 2016 and 2017. He spent 10 years with the Rams from 2011-20, and since then has spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins. An Ohio State alum, McQuaide was a college teammate of Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward.
Pepper, 31, was with the San Francisco 49ers the last five seasons, and spent time with the Packers, Baltimore Ravens, New York Giants and Dolphins before that. Pepper was a veteran tryout for the Steelers this spring during the team’s rookie minicamp.
Scales, 37, spent the last 10 seasons with the Bears, and previously also played with the Ravens, Dolphins, New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Dontao Crisanti, an undrafted rookie from Rhode Island, also joined the Steelers for a tryout during rookie camp. Tucker Addington had been with the team as Kuntz’s backup from June 25 until he was waived on Aug. 7. Addington remains a free agent.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Try Out Four Veteran Long Snappers after Christian Kuntz Injury
