When the Pittsburgh Steelers took the field Saturday night for their second preseason contest of 2023, a good number of players did so in an attempt to squeeze their way onto the 53-man roster or at least the 16-man practice squad. With only a handful of positions really being up for grabs, the best way for a player to earn a spot is through being valuable on special teams.

Knowing that the final few roster spots could very well come down to this third element of the game, here are the top six special team scores by Pro Football Focus (PFF) from the Steelers game on Saturday night. In my typical fashion, I do want to remind everyone that PFF scores are merely an opinion, yet it is one based on looking at every player on every play. Whether or not you agree with the opinion of PFF in their scores is completely up to you.

For these six players, they were the only ones on the Steelers who scored above 70.0 for their special teams grade on Friday night. Along with their score, the number of snaps each player was on the field for special teams will be included. The following is the key for the six different special-teams units:

KR = Kickoff return
KO = Kickoff coverage
PR = Punt return
PC = Punt coverage
FGB = Field goal block
FGK = Field goal kick

Note: Missing from this list is Calvin Austin with his fantastic punt return which did not cause his special teams PFF score to fluctuate much for some mysterious reason.

1- Dez Fitzpatrick, WR
Score: 79.5
Snaps: 9 total (2 KR, 3 KO, 2 PR, 2 PC, 0 FGB, 0 FGK)
Last Week: 6th (73.0)

After having a performance last week which put him on the list, Dez Fitzpatrick ended up with the top score on special teams. The reason Fitzpatrick had such a high score was from his one tackle which came on the Steelers final punt where the 52-yard kick only had a 2-yard return thanks to Fitzpatrick’s tackle.

2- Rodney Williams, TE
Score: 77.3
Snaps: 9 total (2 KR, 3 KO, 2 PR, 2 PC, 0 FGB, 0 FGK)
Last Week: 2nd (84.4)

Although it wasn’t as high of a score as last week, Rodney Williams is in the second spot again on special teams and was credited with one tackle.

3- Kenny Robinson, S
Score: 75.7
Snaps: 11 total (1 KR, 3 KO, 3 PR, 3 PC, 1 FGB, 0 FGK)
Last Week: 5th (74.5)

Another of the four out of six players also appearing on the list last week, Kenny Robinson continues to make his case for the 53-man roster with another strong special teams performance where he had one tackle.

4- Tanner Muse, LB
Score: 74.9
Snaps: 10 total (1 KR, 3 KO, 3 PR, 2 PC, 1 FGB, 0 FGK)
Last Week: 3rd (80.4)

Tanner Muse may have dropped a spot in the rankings on special teams, but he’s still up there as being a core player for the Steelers if he makes the roster. Jumping from the Steelers worst defensive score in Week 1 to the top score on defense against the Bills will also help make his case.

5- Miles Boykin, WR
Score: 74.8
Snaps: 10 total (1 KR, 3 KO, 3 PR, 3 PC, 0 FGB, 0 FGK)
Last Week: N/A

A key special teams contributor last year, Miles Boykin didn’t get any special team snaps in their first preseason game. But when given the chance against the Bills, Boykin landed towards the top of the list as many Steelers’ fans would expect.

6- Forrest Rhyne, LB
Score: 73.6
Snaps: 5 total (0 KR, 3 KO, 2 PR, 0 PC, 0 FGB, 0 FGK)
Last Week: N/A

Added to the Steelers roster since their previous preseason game, Forest Rhyne struggled on defense but showed his special teams capabilities.

So there are the top six special team scores from Saturday night’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. While these players are not likely to make the roster based strictly on their special teams performance from just this game, they are an interesting group to watch over the next final contest to see if they can continue to get the job done on the various special teams units.