Blocking, ‘splash’ on special teams help Ben Skowronek settle into role with Steelers

Amidst Zoom-directed training at the height of the pandemic, Ben Skowronek jotted down something that his position coach at Notre Dame had told him.

“He said, ‘Look, man, you can be the best in the world at this,’ ” Skowronek said of what Fighting Irish wide receivers coach Del Alexander told him over video conferencing in 2020. “I wrote that in my notebook. We spent a lot of time really focusing on that: blocking.”

It’s unverifiable and likely hyperbolic to suggest that Skowronek is, indeed, the best blocking wide receiver in the world. But he might be the best blocking wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that’s part of what has helped Skowronek carve a niche on the team after signing just before this season.

In regards to its run blocking grades, Pro Football Focus rates Skowronek as the fifth best of any wide receiver who has played as many snaps as him this season. In addition to a pair of catches, Skowronek also has four special-teams tackles and has filled the role as “gunner” on punt coverage.

It was in that role that Skowronek has recovered two fumbles. The latest was one that sealed this past Sunday’s win against the Cleveland Browns.

“I came here with an expectation to play,” said Skowronek, who was cut by the Houston Texans in August and joined the Steelers three days later. “I feel like if you don’t have that mindset, you shouldn’t be in the building, so I wanna play and I wanna help this team win a championship. That’s what I am here to do, and I love playing here in Pittsburgh.”

Skowronek’s father is a native of Western Pennsylvania, so he grew up in the 2000s a fan of the team. As such, he is quite familiar with Hines Ward, the Steelers receiver from that era who is the franchise career leader in catches but arguably is known as much for his blocking.

At 6-foot-3, 224 pounds, Skowronek’s size aids him in that pursuit. The Steelers often have deployed him in “big,” run-first packages. The Steelers average 4.65 yards per carry when Skowronek is in the game, a figure higher than any of their wide receivers who have been with the team all season.

“It’s definitely an effort thing,” Skowronek said of what makes a good blocker. “But you’ve got to have technique as well. I never want to be out-efforted on the field. That’s definitely a choice when lining up against the person across from you.”

One of the best games of Skowronek’s college career was when he had two long touchdown catches in a victory at Pitt in 2020. Some four years later, after three seasons and a Super Bowl ring with the Los Angeles Rams, Skowronek is settling into a regular role in Pittsburgh with the Steelers.