Steelers Legend Ben Roethlisberger Makes Bold Request For Pittsburgh's 2 Rookie Returners

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered September with one of their few rookie jobs looking relatively settled. They spent a premium Day 3 pick specifically trying to solve the return game, watched that investment finally explode in the preseason finale and carried another unusually versatile rookie onto the 53-man roster behind him. On paper, there is an obvious pecking order. One franchise legend would prefer Pittsburgh keep the competition considerably less tidy.

Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wants Pittsburgh to continue giving both Kaden Wetjen and Eli Heidenreich opportunities on punts and kickoffs. During a recent episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, he argued that Heidenreich's return ability could provide another reason for Pittsburgh to keep testing both rookies instead of allowing one player to completely own the job immediately.

“I’d like to see both of those guys get some reps at punt, kickoff. Like, let’s let both of them kind of keep [competing], because that’s maybe why Eli was valuable too, as a returner,” Roethlisberger said.

Wetjen remains the obvious favorite for those responsibilities. Pittsburgh selected him 121st overall after he became one of college football's premier dual returners at Iowa, where he averaged 17.7 yards per punt return and 27.5 yards per kickoff while scoring six combined return touchdowns. The Steelers did not spend a fourth-round pick on a specialist because they hoped he might eventually become average at his specialty.

Their initial depth chart reflected that investment. Wetjen was listed first at both punt and kickoff returner, making him the only rookie starter Pittsburgh identified when that first order was released. Even before the regular season, the job looked designed for him to lose rather than something the Steelers intended to split evenly. August made the conversation a little more interesting.

Wetjen's talent was obvious, but his preseason was not particularly clean. Against the New York Jets, he nearly lost a fumble on one punt and later bobbled another opportunity. The exact skill that was supposed to provide his safest route onto the roster briefly became the reason Pittsburgh had to worry every time the football fell from the sky. Then Buffalo happened.

Wetjen erased plenty of frustration in the preseason finale by taking a punt 45 yards for a touchdown, reversing field after the coverage initially squeezed him before finding the sideline. His late preseason breakthrough was exactly the kind of play Pittsburgh envisioned when it drafted him. One return changed field position, put points on the board and provided a reminder that taking a chance on a return specialist can look much smarter once he finds open grass.

Roethlisberger's idea is not really an argument to take that job away. It is an argument against making the depth chart permanent before Pittsburgh knows everything Heidenreich can offer. The seventh-round rookie made the roster because he refused to become easy to categorize. Pittsburgh officially lists Heidenreich as a running back/wide receiver, but his actual responsibilities have already expanded far beyond those two labels. He worked on kickoff return during training camp, played across several special-teams units in the preseason and has since earned a demanding communication role within that phase.

That makes return work a logical extension rather than some random September experiment. Heidenreich possesses enough open-field ability to intrigue Pittsburgh offensively, and giving him occasional return opportunities creates another way to extract value from a player whose game-day role may otherwise change significantly from week to week.

There is also a practical reason to develop somebody behind Wetjen. A return specialist can miss time like anybody else, and Pittsburgh would rather discover its second answer during practice than while improvising after an injury on Sunday. The Steelers originally listed Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle as backup returners, but using either starting running back there regularly carries an obvious cost that Heidenreich would not. Competition could help Wetjen, too.

His biggest preseason issue was not a lack of explosiveness. Pittsburgh already knew he could create enormous returns. The concern was whether every decision and catch would remain controlled enough for the Steelers to trust the upside. Another capable rookie taking practice reps prevents the job from becoming ceremonial simply because Wetjen's draft card happened to arrive four rounds earlier.

Steelers Could Get More By Keeping Both Rookies Involved

Roethlisberger's proposal does not require Pittsburgh to rotate returners every other punt like quarterbacks in a spring game. Wetjen can remain the primary option while Heidenreich receives enough work to stay prepared and occasionally force the staff to consider a different answer. That arrangement fits both players.

Wetjen gets the opportunity to turn his elite college specialty into an NFL role while continuing to prove the ball-security issues from August were temporary. Heidenreich gets another responsibility added to an already strange collection of jobs, which is precisely how he transformed himself from a seventh-round long shot into somebody Pittsburgh could not bring itself to cut.

The Steelers spent two draft picks on players whose value extends well beyond one traditional position. Letting them compete in the same area does not diminish either investment. It might make both more useful.

Wetjen earned the first seat through his résumé and his touchdown in Buffalo. Roethlisberger simply does not want Pittsburgh putting a reserved sign on it yet.

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