Can Chris Boswell Tackle? He Will Need To Under the NFL’s New Kickoff Rules
The Pittsburgh Steelers originally signed Chris Boswell to try to fill the gap left by Shaun Suisham’s injury during the 2015 season but after two long contract extensions, Boswell is well on his way to playing for the team until he is the ripe age of 35 years old.
The Steelers brought in a familiar face in kicker Matthew Wright to compete with Boswell in training camp and the preseason. With that move being for the team to have another leg at camp and for Wright to be able to put kicks on tape for other teams, Boswell will be the Steelers starting placekicker in 2024 without a doubt.
There is a new challenge that Boswell will face this season. Under the NFL’s new kickoff rules, the kicker is going to be involved in the tackling more than ever before. Under the new rules, the kickoff team will line up on the 40-yard line and the kick return team just ten yards in front of them. The rule is, no one other than the returner and kickoff specialist can move until the kickoff lands inside the 20-yard line.
Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz went on his podcast and talked about the average rate that kickers in the XFL have been apart of the tackles and what Boswell is doing in order to prepare for that.
“There was a stat that said, like 17% of kickoffs in the XFL, the kicker made the tackle, or at least was in on the tackle,” Kuntz said. “That’s a crazy number. Yeah, [Boswell] is bulking. He can tackle. He’ll get in there.”
Special teams coach Danny Smith boasted confidence that Boswell will be fine under the new format, too.
“[Boswell] is all in. Boz and I have a great relationship. He is all in,” Smith said. “He’ll be good at it. Trust me. He’ll be very good at it.”
If he can stay healthy under the new rules, Boswell has shown the ability to be one of the top kickers in the league but his health has been an issue for the Rice product ever since the 2020 season. He has missed eight games due to injuries over the past four seasons.
Nonetheless, Boswell is not going anywhere, anytime soon. Well, except to Latrobe, where he may even take part in some tackling drills.
9 • Chris Boswell, Kicker, Rice
6-foot-2, 185 pounds, 32 years old, 11th Season
Acquired: The Steelers signed Chris Boswell on Oct. 3, 2015, after Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley were both placed on the injured reserve list and Josh Scobee was cut due to poor performances.
Last Season: Chris Boswell bounced back last year after a shaky 2022 season. In 2023, Boswell made 93.6% of his field goal attempts and 96.4% of his extra point attempts.
Career: After finishing as Rice’s second-highest scorer in school history, the Houston Texans signed Chris Boswell as an undrafted free agent to compete with Randy Bullock in training camp. Boswell lost the competition and was cut by the team. He did re-sign with the Texans to be a part of their practice squad in 2014.
Prior to the 2015 season, Boswell agreed to a reserve/future contract with the New York Giants but was later waived and placed on their practice squad. The Steelers signed Boswell four games into the 2015 season due to poor kicking performances by Josh Scobee. Boswell was a breath of fresh air for the Steelers as he made more than 90% of his extra points and field goal attempts. He also set a Steelers record for making three 47-plus-yard field goals in the same game in 2015.
Boswell did a good enough job to remain as the Steelers’ kicker heading into the 2016 season. In a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Boswell made a career-high six field goals with five of them coming from 40-plus yards. This was the first time in NFL history that a kicker pulled that accomplishment off. In the playoffs, Boswell set an NFL record by making six field goals in the same playoff game as he scored all of the Steelers’ points in an 18-16 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Prior to the 2017 season, Boswell signed a one-year extension with the Steelers and went on to make the Pro Bowl during the 2017 season. He then signed a five-year extension the following offseason and was named as a team captain for the 2018 season. In 2018 though, Boswell went through a rough patch as he only converted 65% of his field goals.
Boswell bounced back in 2019 and made 93.5% of his field goal attempts. In 2020, Boswell set a Steelers record for the longest field goal made in the organization’s history which was a 59-yarder against the Dallas Cowboys. This also set a career-high for Boswell. Then in 2021, Boswell set the Heinz Field record for the longest field goal as he banged a 56-yard field goal against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Over his first nine seasons of actual playing time, Boswell has played in 116 games and has made 202 field goals and 249 extra points.
| Year | GP | FGM | FGA | FG% | XPA | XP | XP % | PFF Rating |
| 2014 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 12 | 29 | 32 | 90.6 | 26 | 27 | 96.3 | 68.9 |
| 2016 | 15 | 21 | 25 | 84.0 | 36 | 36 | 100.0 | 74.2 |
| 2017 | 16 | 35 | 38 | 92.1 | 37 | 39 | 94.9 | 81.3 |
| 2018 | 15 | 13 | 20 | 65.0 | 43 | 48 | 89.6 | 30.6 |
| 2019 | 16 | 29 | 31 | 93.5 | 28 | 28 | 100.0 | 79.7 |
| 2020 | 13 | 19 | 20 | 95.0 | 34 | 38 | 89.5 | 64.2 |
| 2021 | 17 | 36 | 40 | 90.0 | 27 | 29 | 93.1 | 81.9 |
| 2022 | 12 | 20 | 28 | 71.4 | 18 | 18 | 100.0 | 66.1 |
| 2023 | 17 | 29 | 31 | 93.6 | 27 | 28 | 96.4 | – |
College: Chris Boswell committed to Rice University out of high school and sat out the entire 2009 season on a redshirt. In 2010, Boswell became the Owls’ starting placekicker and made 11 of his 17 field goal attempts with his season-long being a 50-yarder.
In 2011, Boswell upped his field goal percentage to 80.9% as he made 17 of 21 attempts. After the season, Boswell was named as an honorable mention All-Conference USA by the league’s coaches. As a redshirt junior in 2012, Boswell made a career-high 23 field goals with a long of 57 yards, which was also a career-high.
Boswell finished his Rice career as the second-leading scorer in program history with 358 points, just two points shy of the all-time record.
| Year | FGM | FGA | Percentage | Long |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 11 | 17 | 64.7 | 50 |
| 2011 | 17 | 21 | 80.9 | 54 |
| 2012 | 23 | 29 | 79.3 | 57 |
| 2013 | 14 | 21 | 66.7 | 56 |
Salary cap and future: Chris Boswell is entering the second year of the four-year extension that he signed prior to the 2022 season. In 2024, Boswell will cost $4.72 million against the team’s cap space. Of the $4.72 million, Boswell is owed $3.12 million in base salary and $1.6 million in bonuses.
Boswell is signed with the Steelers through the end of the 2026 season when he will be the age of 35. If he plays his contract all the way through, Boswell would be the Steelers’ kicker for 12 seasons straight.
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