Steelers Special Teamer Cleared From Knee Injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers got some good injury news on the special teams front for their Week 16 game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

Long snapper Christian Kuntz was added to the injury report on Dec. 18 with a knee injury and thus was a limited participant in practice for the final two sessions of the week.

He has since been cleared, however, and carries no game designation as the Steelers look to improve upon their 8-6 record.

Steelers' Insurance Plan

Shortly after the news broke that Kuntz had sustained an injury, which threw his availability for this weekend's game into question, Pittsburgh signed long snapper Cal Adomitis to its practice squad.

Adomitis played at the University of Pittsburgh from 2017 to 2021 and was a first-team All-American as a senior while helping the program win its first-ever ACC title.

He played in 49 games for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2022 to 2024 before being released at final roster cuts back in August. Adomitis signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in late September and played in nine games for the team before getting cut on December 9.

The 27-year-old won't suit up for Pittsburgh in Detroit, but he's a solid backup plan moving forward should Kuntz not be able to give it a go.

Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Nikko Remigio (81) returns a punt against Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz (46) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Kuntz' Preseason Injury

Kuntz suffered a chest injury in Pittsburgh's second game of the preseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while attempting to make a tackle.

The Steelers signed two-time Pro Bowler and 15-year veteran Jake McQuaide after Kuntz went down, but the team ended up releasing the former ahead of final roster cuts once it was clear that the latter would be healthy enough to play at the beginning of the regular season.

Sure enough, Kuntz was not listed on Pittsburgh's injury report leading into Week 1 and has appeared in each of the team's contests this year up to this point.

Kuntz's Steelers Career

A western Pennsylvania native, Kuntz attended and played linebacker at Duquesne University. He finished his stint there with 248 tackles, 71.5 of which were for a loss, while also tacking on 30.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles and six interceptions in 45 games.

Kuntz signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2017, but he spent just one day with the team and went on to transition to long snapper from that point forward.

After bouncing around between the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars, his first stint in Pittsburgh came during the 2019 preseason, though he was let go before the regular season began.

Kuntz later resurfaced with the Steelers during the 2020 offseason. He was cut that August, but he'd re-sign to the team's practice squad in November.

From there, Kuntz has played in 82 contests for Pittsburgh entering this week's contest against the Lions.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the Pittsburgh Steelers