The Steelers had a very quiet but very real competition at punter during training camp, ultimately settling on keeping veteran Jordan Berry on the 53-man roster over rookie Corliss Waitman on Saturday when they trimmed their roster to 53 players.
As it turns out, Berry still might be in trouble.
The Steelers will host veteran kicker Dustin Colquitt for a tryout early this week once he passes through COVID-19 testing and a physical. According to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissaro, the Steelers are expected to sign the 38-year-old Colquitt if all goes well.
The #Steelers are bringing in veteran punter Dustin Colquitt for a tryout, per the transaction wire.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 5, 2020
Colquitt still must go through COVID-19 testing and a physical, but the anticipation going in is if all goes well, they'll sign him.
Colquitt spent his entire 15-year career with the Chiefs before being released in the offseason. He helped the team win a Super Bowl last season.
The former Tennessee standout and son of former Steelers' punter Craig Colquitt has averaged 44.8 yards per kick over his career, including 44.3 yards per attempt in 2019.
Berry averaged 45.5 yards per punt last season, his fifth with the Steelers, and 44.2 yards per kick over the course of his career. But he's struggled with inconsistency at times, particularly late in seasons when the weather in Pittsburgh turns bad.
The move could be one to save some salary cap space. Berry is scheduled to earn $1.8 million in base salary this season with a cap hit of $2.175 million. Colquitt would likely be signed for the veteran minimum.
The move would also mean that Colquitt also would serve as the holder for placekicker Chris Boswell. Berry has been Boswell's holder since both joined the team in 2015.
The Steelers open the regular season Sept. 14 against the Giants at MetLife Stadium.