Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 Exit Interviews: Pressley Harvin III and Marcus Allen

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 NFL season has come to a close. Because the Steelers are among the 31 teams who did not finish fulfilling their ultimate goal, they are in the process of wrapping up their season and moving forward into 2023.

Since the Steelers conduct exit interviews with all their players, we here at BTSC thought we would do the same. By outlining two players each day, we will be able to look at their season in retrospect as well as looking toward the future. Since Coach Tomlin has previously stated he starts his interviews with rookies, first year players, and those heading into free agency, we will do the same. To start, we will pair a potential free agent with a first-year player as we work through this process to eventually cover the entire Steelers roster.

Next up are punter Pressley Harvin III and linebacker Marcus Allen.

Pressley Harvin III

Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Position: Punter
Years with the Steelers: 2
Years in the NFL: 2
Contract Status: Signed through 2024
Contract Details: $960,183 salary cap hit for 2023. Would cost the Steelers $40,366 in dead money if released and would save $919,817.
Games played in 2022: 17 regular season
Games started in 2022: 0 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 141 (special teams)
PFF score: 67.5 17th of 34)
Notable stats: Harvin had 69 punts for 3,072 yards with a 44.5 yards per punt gross average and a 41.1 yard punt net average. Harvin had five punts that were touch backs and 20 inside the 20 yard line.

Notes: Thinking Pressley Harvin is locked in as the Steelers punter for 2023 would not be wise. It’s not like it’s a position where the Steelers should go spend a lot of money for a huge upgrade, but Harvin‘s job should not be safe for 2023. His 44.5 yards per punt gross average ranked 28th of 35 punters in the NFL last season. Granted, Harvin did do better, particularly with directional punting, as the season went on. But based on his history, Steelers fans are always prepared for a shank to come at the worst possible time. To secure his job moving forward, Harvin just needs to establish consistency.

Marcus Allen

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Position: Linebacker
Years with the Steelers: 5
Years in the NFL: 5
Contract Status: Free Agent
Contract Details: Contract expiring with no dead money.
Games played in 2022: 15 regular season
Games started in 2022: 0 regular season
Snaps (regular season): 0 (defense), 230 (special teams)
PFF score: None
Notable stats: Allen had 12 special teams tackles in 2022.

Notes: Getting a helmet as the last linebacker on the depth chart for all of 2022 until he landed on the Reserve/Injured List in Week 16, Marcus Allen did not play a single defensive snap in 2022. Instead, he was utilized strictly on special teams. For those who think a player like this holds no value and wanted Marcus Allen cut after his horrible penalty against the Panthers because he brought nothing to the Steelers, they are missing one phase of the game that doesn’t seem important until it doesn’t do its job. For being strictly a special teams player, Marcus Allen is not a high priority signing for the Steelers this offseason for much above a minimum salary contract. In fact, he’d be better served on a one-year deal with the veteran salary benefit whether it be in Pittsburgh or somewhere else.

Make sure you check back each day for another set of exit interviews. If you have missed any of the previous articles, they are listed here:

Kenny Pickett & Mason Rudolph
George Pickens & Miles Boykin
DeMarvin Leal & Larry Ogunjobi
Connor Heyward & Zach Gentry
Mark Robinson & Devin Bush
Jaylen Warren & Benny Snell Jr.
Calvin Austin III & Derek Watt
Najee Harris & Terrell Edmunds
Pat Freiermuth & Trent Scott
Dan Moore Jr. & Jesse Davis
Isaiahh Loudermilk & Chris Wormley
Tre Norwood & Damontae Kazee