The Pittsburgh Steelers' punting position has been inconsistent at best since the organization drafted Pressley Harvin III in the seventh round in 2021. It is frustrating to watch because there are games or even individual punts where he is exceptional, pinning teams back deep near their own end zone. Then other punts inexplicably go awry. While no punter or even NFL player is perfect, Harvin has cost the Steelers field position more times than is acceptable. Now, an excellent replacement could be on the market and looking for a job.
USA Today
Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, the offense has been struggling to move the ball down the field or to sustain drives. This puts Harvin in the spotlight quite a bit and he is making it hard for the defense to keep their opponents from scoring. So far during the 2023 season, Harvin has punted 62 times with an average of 44.7 yards per punt. To put this in perspective, the best punter in the league statistically is Ryan Stonehouse from the Tennessee Titans, who averages 53.1 yards per punt. While that may not seem like a huge difference, Harvin ranks 30th out of 32 teams. This is where Matt Araiza enters the conversation.
Araiza is a 23-year-old punter who was drafted in the sixth round in 2022 by the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately during the preseason, Araiza was accused of participating in a rape when he was in college. The civil case named Araiza and some of his San Diego State University teammates in committing a gang rape of a 17-year-old girl. In the State of California, 17 is under the legal age of consent. He has denied the allegations vehemently, but the Bills were forced to release him and it seemed as though his dream of playing in the NFL would be over.
Now Araiza is getting a new lease on life as his accuser is dropping the case. According to Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, the civil suit has been dismissed. In exchange for the suit being dropped, Araiza has said he will dismiss his defamation case against his accuser.
“The win is bittersweet,” Araiza’s lawyer, Dick Semerdjian, stated. “Matt has been forced to defend himself for the last 16 months against false accusations and a campaign to ruin his career in the NFL. He will never get this time in his life back.”
Araiza's lawyer has maintained all along that the whole case was a "money grab." This young woman saw that Araiza was drafted and hoped to make a quick buck. He cited the fact that she waited until after he was drafted to initiate her civil lawsuit.
ADRIAN KRAUS / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Buffalo Bills signed and then released punter Matt Araiza after rape allegations were made.
While the NFL could still discipline Araiza, it is hard to imagine them doing so with zero evidence. When the case was originally brought forward, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office did not file any criminal charges against Araiza or his teammates. They said that there was no evidence to support the allegation that a crime was committed.
With the door likely open for Araiza to return to the NFL, it seems like teams will be clamoring to snag him. The Steelers should definitely be one of those teams.
Why The Steelers Need Matt Araiza
It is easy to continue to cite that Harvin consistently ranks as one of the worst punters in the NFL, but that alone doesn't mean we should roll the dice on just anyone. Araiza has the stats to back it up. During his time at SDSU, he was consistent and accurate.
Araiza, a left-footed kicker, is described as having a "leg like a cannon." Like Harvin, he won the Ray Guy Award which is given to the best punter in college football. While he was in college, he did it all - punting, field goals, point-after attempts, and kickoffs.
The New York Jets brought him in for a workout in May 2023, but he has not been signed. Numerous teams reportedly said that they would not be hesitant to employ Araiza as long as the civil suit was pending.
The majority of his punting stats come from his 2021 season when he took over punting duties. He had 79 attempts that season for 4,044 yards with an average of 51.2. He has a school-record six career punts of at least 70 yards in 84 career attempts. Araiza even went viral for those incredibly long 70 and 80-yard punts and was nicknamed "Punt God."
While the NFL is not college and the special teams units he would face are much fiercer, it is hard not to imagine how good things could be. If Araiza never improved from college and brought his 51.2-yard average to Pittsburgh, we would go from the bottom of the stack to the number three punting team in the league.
Don Wright / AP Photo
Pittsburgh Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III has been relied on to flip the field during an offensively challenged 2023 season.
The NFL still has to announce if they are allowing Araiza to return to the league, but they certainly should. In the meantime, let's hope that General Manager Omar Khan has his finger on speed dial to call Araiza and work his magic.
What do you think about Harvin's punting? Should the Steelers consider calling Araiza? Click to comment below.
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