Ben Skowronek has personified for the Pittsburgh Steelers the mentality of being a football player first and wide receiver second by developing into someone valued as much for his tackling as his catching.
Skowronek’s play hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans, as he led AFC voting for special teamers for the 2026 Pro Bowl Games. The Pro Bowl rosters will be announced Tuesday, and Skowronek is positioned to be selected for the first time in his five-year NFL career.
“It’s something that I’ve had my goal to be an All-Pro, Pro Bowl guy,” Skowronek said Monday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “It’s cool, I guess, but I just want to keep winning. That’s cooler to me.”
Skowronek hasn’t stolen the spotlight since the season-opening 34-32 win over the New York Jets on Sept. 7, when he caught a 22-yard touchdown from Aaron Rodgers — the quarterback’s first for the Steelers — and recovered Xavier Gipson’s fumble on a kickoff to set up a score for a 31-26 lead in the fourth quarter.
But the 6-foot-3, 224-pounder has 20 tackles (10 solo) this season as the gunner, a position that meets as much failure as success — and sometimes all in the same play.
“I’d say it’s in the limelight to Mike Tomlin,” Skowronek said. “Every Thursday we spend a lot of time doing special teams, so I take great pride in it. It’s something that I’ve realized that the fans recognize, I guess. Even my first couple weeks here, I was going out to eat, and the bartender was like, ‘You’re the gunner, aren’t you?’ It’s cool, the City of Pittsburgh, they recognize football players.”
Skowronek was involved in a pair of big plays early in Sunday’s 29-24 win at the Detroit Lions. He drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when he was forced and stayed out of bounds on punt coverage early in the second quarter, giving Detroit the ball at their own 38 for a drive that led to the tying field goal to make it 3-3. On the Steelers’ next punt, Skowronek laid a crushing hit on Lions return man Kalif Raymond, jarring the ball loose at the Detroit 15.
“I didn’t really like that call, obviously,” Skowronek said of the penalty. “I don’t want to criticize the officials or anything. I’m not in the business to do that. They’re doing their job. But I’d say every play, I try to make a play. It’s not make up for this, make up for that. That’s when you start pressing and try to do too much. I am just trying to play my game and do my job.”
Skowronek said Steelers special teams coach Danny Smith holds his players to a high standard, whether they are starters or reserves. That brings out the best in Skowronek, who brings an underdog mentality to serving as the Steelers’ gunner.
“You’ve got to have a relentless mindset, I’d say,” Skowronek said. “You’re going to lose some reps. You’re going to get double-teamed if you’re worth something in this league. To have two guys on you and to fail, to get beat but to keep going — and I’m talking about on the same rep; you’re going to lose part of the rep and, at the end of the day, you want to win the last part of it. You’ve got to have the grit and determination.”
Skowronek showed that relentlessness against the Baltimore Ravens, fighting through a double team determined to knock him down repeatedly by refusing to give up on the play. It went viral, showcasing Skowronek as the prototypical gunner in today’s NFL.
He credited his upbringing as the youngest player, whether it was playing football with his older brother’s friends in the neighborhood or playing in an older age group in basketball on a team that went 0-28 before winning its final game.
“I’d say I’ve always had it,” Skowronek said. “My parents always joked that I was a bulldog. I never quit. … I give it a testament to my environment growing up. My parents always put me in the hardest situations, and I appreciate them for that.”
That explains how Skowronek continues to play with a club on his left hand, protecting a bothersome thumb injury that has limited him to four receptions (on six targets) for 69 yards this season.
“I just want to help the team any way I can,” Skowronek said. “Obviously, I’m going through a little something right now. That’s a short-term thing. Immediately when it happened, I said, ‘I’m not missing a game.’ I want to be out there. I want to be able to compete. There’s so many opportunities you get in this league, and you never know when it’s going to be over, so I try to push through any injury that I have. We all have injuries in this locker room right now. It’s December football. It’s nothing, really. I can put a cast on. I can play. I just love playing, so I’m going to fight through anything.”
