Steelers All 90: LS Christian Kuntz Looking to Build off Strong 2021

All 90 is a Pittsburgh Steelers Now series profiling each of the 90 members of the Steelers 2022 offseason roster.

46 • Christian Kuntz, second-year long snapper, Duquesne
6-foot-1, 227 pounds, 28 year old

Acquired: Christian Kuntz signed with the Steelers for a second stint as a street free agent on March 30, 2020. He re-signed with the team on one-year deals in 2021 and 2022.

Last season: Kuntz carved out an NFL role for the first time, beating out Kam Canaday in a training camp battle to unseat the Steelers’ incumbent long snapper. Kuntz played in all 17 games in 2021 and made two tackles.

Career: Kuntz signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Duquesne in 2017, after which he first started long snapping.

Kuntz spent time with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018 and 2019, but did not play in a game. He was signed by the Steelers for the first time on Aug. 15, 2019 and he recorded five tackles and a sack in a preseason game against Carolina, but was among the team’s roster cuts at the end of camp. Kuntz played with the Dallas Renegades of the XFL in the spring of 2020.

After the XFL folded, Kuntz re-joined the Steelers. He was waived on Aug. 2, but the Steelers re-signed him to their practice squad on Nov. 24. He spent the rest of the season on and off the practice squad, as the Steelers attempted to keep backups for all three of their specialists within the NFL’s COVID-19 testing protocols.

College: After an ACL injury cost him his junior season with the Dukes, Kuntz broke out with a strong redshirt junior season in 2015, with 26 tackles for loss to lead all FCS players along with 11 sacks, the third-best season for a Duquesne defender.

In 2016, he ranked second in the FCS with 11.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss and became an FCS All-American.

Camp outlook: Kuntz will look to build from his strong 2021 season and become more involved with coverage units, where his skills as a former linebacker can be utilized. There is no real competition for his role in training camp.

Future: Kuntz will be an exclusive-rights free agent after the season.

The rest of the 90: