He’s the guy you only notice when things go horribly wrong. If you’re a fan sitting in the upper deck at Acrisure Stadium, you probably don't even know what his face looks like without a helmet. But for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Christian Kuntz is basically the insurance policy for every single point scored by the kicking game.
Long snapping is a weird, high-stress subculture. You’re bent over, looking at the world upside down between your legs, with a 300-pound defensive tackle waiting to cave your chest in the second the ball leaves your hands. It’s a job where "perfection" is the baseline expectation and anything less is a catastrophe. Kuntz has mastered this invisible art, transitioning from a college linebacker at Duquesne to the guy Mike Tomlin trusts to handle the leather for Chris Boswell’s game-winning field goals.
The Long Road to Long Snapping
Christian Kuntz didn’t grow up dreaming of being the Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper. He was a defensive wrecking ball. At Duquesne University, he was a three-time All-American and twice named the Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year. We’re talking about a guy who finished his college career with 30.5 sacks. He was a playmaker, a hitter, a guy who lived in the backfield. But the NFL is a business of specialization. At 6'1" and roughly 230 pounds, Kuntz was a "tweener"—too small to be a traditional NFL linebacker and maybe a step slow for safety.
He had to pivot.
Most people don't realize how hard that transition is. Imagine being a lead singer your whole life and then suddenly being told you can only stay in the band if you become a world-class triangle player. Kuntz spent years in the wilderness of professional football. He bounced from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the Jacksonville Jaguars and even the Denver Broncos. He had a stint in the XFL with the Dallas Renegades in 2020. He was the classic "camp leg," a guy brought in to give the starters a rest during the preseason.
It wasn’t until 2021 that he finally unseated the veteran Kam Canaday. That move raised some eyebrows at the time. Canaday had been solid. But the Steelers saw something in Kuntz—maybe it was that linebacker mentality. When the ball is snapped and the kick is away, the long snapper becomes a coverage player. Having a guy who actually knows how to shed a block and make a tackle in open space is a massive luxury on the punt team.
Why the Snap Actually Matters
Look, you’ve seen it happen. A high snap. A ball that bounces before it reaches the holder’s hands. A fraction of a second of delay that lets a defender get a fingertip on the ball.
In the NFL, the "operation time" for a field goal is usually between 1.25 and 1.35 seconds. That’s the total time from the snap to the ball being kicked. If the Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper is off by a hair, the whole rhythm is dead. Kuntz has to deliver a "dead" snap—meaning the ball rotates a specific number of times so that when it hits the holder’s hands, the laces are already facing away from the kicker.
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Chris Boswell is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. He's a technician. But even a guy like "Bos" struggles if the laces are facing him. Kuntz’s job is to ensure Boswell never has to think about the snap.
The Chemistry of the "Specialist Union"
There’s this little clique on every NFL team. It’s the kicker, the punter/holder, and the long snapper. In Pittsburgh, this trio—currently featuring Kuntz, Boswell, and punter Cameron Johnston—is a tight-knit group. They spend the entire practice on a side field, repeating the same motion hundreds of times while the rest of the team is hitting each other.
It sounds boring. It’s actually obsessive.
They talk about "operation time" like it’s a Formula 1 pit stop. They study wind patterns at Acrisure Stadium, which is notoriously one of the hardest places to kick in the league because of the "open" end of the stadium near the river. The wind swirls. It gets cold. The ball gets hard as a rock in December. Kuntz has to snap a frozen, slick football with the same velocity and accuracy he does in August.
The Physical Toll Nobody Talks About
We need to talk about the "snap and hit." In the old days of the NFL, you could just blast the long snapper the second his head was down. The league eventually changed the rules to protect these guys, but it’s still violent.
Kuntz is basically starting every play at a disadvantage. His center of gravity is forward, his arms are extended between his legs, and his head is down. He has to snap the ball and then instantly brace for a bull rush. If he gets knocked backward, the holder gets hit, and the play is blown.
Kuntz’s background as a linebacker helps him here. He’s sturdier than your average snapper. He’s got that "yinzer" toughness that Pittsburgh fans adore. He’s a local kid from Chartiers Valley High School. He grew up in the culture. He knows that in Pittsburgh, if you aren't tough, you don't last.
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Honestly, he’s become a bit of a cult hero. He hosts a podcast. He interacts with fans. He’s leaning into the "blue-collar specialist" vibe. But don't let the personality fool you—he’s a meticulous pro. In March 2024, the Steelers rewarded him with a new three-year contract. That’s a huge deal for a long snapper. It shows that the front office values stability in the kicking game above almost anything else.
The Misconception of "Just a Snapper"
A common mistake fans make is thinking that long snapping is just about the snap. It’s not.
On punts, Kuntz is effectively the center. He has to help set the protection. He has to identify which lane the rushers are coming from. And then, most importantly, he has to sprint.
The Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper is often the first or second guy down the field on a punt. Think about that. You just threw a ball through your legs, got hit by a defensive tackle, and now you’re expected to sprint 40 yards and tackle a guy like Tyreek Hill or Devin Hester. It’s an absurd athletic requirement.
Kuntz is consistently one of the best in the league at this. He doesn't just "participate" in the tackle; he’s often the one forcing the returner to fair catch because he’s right in their face.
What Happens When It Goes Wrong?
To understand Kuntz’s value, you have to remember the 2022 season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals' long snapper got hurt. They had to use a backup—a linebacker who didn't snap regularly.
The result? A botched snap on an extra point that would have won the game, and another messy operation in overtime. The Bengals lost because their "invisible" player wasn't there.
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Steelers fans haven't had to worry about that. Kuntz has been a model of consistency. He’s played through the nagging injuries—fingers, wrists, back—that come with the territory. You don't get to be an NFL long snapper if you aren't willing to play with a taped-up hand that looks like a club.
The Business of Being Christian Kuntz
His contract extension in 2024 wasn't just a "feel-good" story for a local kid. It was a strategic move by Omar Khan and the Steelers' front office. By locking him in, they ensured that Chris Boswell—who is arguably the team's most consistent scoring threat—has total peace of mind.
In the salary cap era, teams try to save money on specialists. They bring in rookies on minimum deals to save a few hundred thousand dollars. The Steelers didn't do that. They paid Kuntz because the "cost of failure" at that position is too high. One bad snap can cost you a playoff spot. In a division as tight as the AFC North, where games are routinely decided by three points or less, you don't mess with the "Specialist Union."
Kuntz's journey from an undrafted linebacker at a small FCS school to a multi-year contract starter for his hometown team is one of those "only in football" stories. It’s about grit, sure. But it’s mostly about the willingness to be perfect at something nobody cares about until it's broken.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Aspiring Specialists
If you're watching a Steelers game this weekend, don't just look at the kicker. Watch the number 46.
- Watch the laces: On field goals, see if the laces are already facing the uprights when the holder catches the ball. If they are, that’s Kuntz’s handiwork.
- Track the punt coverage: Notice who is leading the charge down the field. Usually, it’s the gunners (the guys on the outside), but keep an eye on Kuntz in the middle. If he's shedding a block and getting downfield, the Steelers' net punting average goes up.
- The "Silent" Success: If you don't hear the announcers mention Christian Kuntz's name once during the broadcast, he had a perfect game. That is the ultimate goal of the Pittsburgh Steelers long snapper.
For young players looking to make it: long snapping is the ultimate "back door" into the NFL. If you have the size and the accuracy, it's the longest-tenured position in the league. Some snappers play until they're 40. But as Kuntz proved, you can't just be a "specialist." You have to be a football player first. You have to be willing to tackle, block, and grind.
The next time Boswell nails a 50-yarder to beat the Ravens, remember the guy who started the whole thing from the dirt. He’s the most important player you’ll never see on a jersey in the stadium shop, and that’s exactly how he likes it.