Steelers Insider Surprisingly Pumps The Brakes On Kaden Wetjen's Returner Hype

The Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with a change in special teams this season. They lost highly regarded coach Danny Smith to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Mike Tomlin departed from Pittsburgh. Losing him resulted in the Steelers bringing in Danny Crossman to coach the special teams group. This will be his 23rd year in the NFL as a coach, bringing plenty of experience to the organization. This shakeup will change things around the unit, which includes a key player coming from this most recent draft class.

The Steelers brought in a return specialist via the 2026 NFL Draft in Kaden Wetjen. The product out of Iowa came to Pittsburgh in the fourth round with high expectations as a returner. Some believe he should have that job won right out of the gate, but fans should get a good look at him in that role during the preseason.

Wetjen was obviously very successful in college, leading college football in 2025 with 26.8 yards per punt return and scoring three punt return touchdowns. He also led the Big Ten that year with 29.8 yards per kick return. That season made him an All American returner, putting plenty of hype on his name entering the draft.

While his resume is deep from what he produced at Iowa, there are still some concerns from some outside the organization. Christopher Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette answered a question about that in his chatroom on Thursday. 

"I still think Wetjen's skill set isn't necessarily making him an elite NFL returner yet," Carter wrote. "Plenty of guys who've been productive returners in the NCAA don't translate that to the NFL. It will be interesting to see what the new special teams coach can come up with."

Carter isn't completely sold on what Wetjen brings to the table just yet. There's still a lot to prove from him jumping from college to the NFL, which of course is a statement on every rookie. Wetjen in particular didn't do much outside of returning on special teams. At receiver, he hauled in just 20 receptions in 2025, accounting for 151 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, he took 15 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns. Nonetheless, he is very fast, running a 4.47 40-time at the NFL Combine. He has the tools to be successful, just has to prove it to the fanbase moving forward.

Iowa found different ways to use his speed offensively, but his value comes in the return game. It was limited there and it will be even more limited in Pittsburgh. He will likely only play on special teams, but players like Ben Skowronek did well enough to earn offensive snaps. Wetjen definitely has the speed, so time will tell if he can develop some extra tools to help this team out in more ways than one. 

Now that Kenneth Gainwell and Calvin Austin are gone, this organization needs to find someone to replace them. A young, quick option like Wetjen is a good opportunity to start over and attempt to upgrade. If Wetjen can give the Steelers numbers like he did in college, then there will be less pressure on the offense to completely carry this team down the field. Productive plays from the special teams unit, primarily in the return game, can set the offense up for easier scoring situations.

Steelers' Kaden Wetjen Has A Lot To Prove 

Pittsburgh needs to fix up its special teams unit, especially after losing Coach Smith. There's a lot of talent to work with for newly hired Coach Crossman, but he needs to make an impact immediately. 

This team is looking to win their first playoff game in years and having a reliable returner in Wetjen would quietly make a dramatic impact towards accomplishing that goal in 2026.

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