Throughout training camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers maintained patience with rookie return specialist Kaden Wetjen, waiting for his explosive collegiate traits to translate to the professional level.
After an uninspiring summer where his receiving impact was minimal, and return opportunities yielded few dynamic moments, Wetjen provided the exact spark Pittsburgh needed in the preseason finale.
Steelers reporter Christopher Carter spoke about Wetjen’s performance on his “Locked on Steelers” podcast. He believes it’s possible that with the 53-man roster deadline looming, Wetjen put together a game-changing punt return touchdown that locked up his spot.
Reversing field across the turf before cutting up the sideline, the fourth-round rookie showcased
the elite acceleration that made him a consensus All-American at Iowa. The explosive play validated the coaching staff's decision to feed him exclusive return reps despite early training camp struggles.
Carter admitted he may have been wrong about Wetjen just based on what he’d shown so far.
"I have to make some apologies to one Mr. Kaden Wetjen. I was unfamiliar with your game. I’m not gonna lie, I actually am very familiar with his return abilities, but I’m giving credit where credit’s due. I was not impressed by any of the returns we had seen or really much of his receiving game.
"Then Kaden comes out here and says shut your yellow shirt-wearing butt up," Carter joked. "He went out there and he turned right, he turned left. And at first I'm like, why you running into the wall? And then he ran around the wall and you saw that explosive burst and he hit the sideline, and he ran past the punter, and he scored a touchdown. Good on Kaden, doing what he came to Pittsburgh to do."
While executing against third-string special teamers in late August carries natural caveats, the tape matched the internal belief the organization held throughout August.
"I think that it's been very evident that they've been enamored by his return abilities in camp," Carter added. "They haven't really let anyone else get shots at it that much. So I think that means Kaden is going to make this roster."
By turning potential into production when it mattered most, Wetjen may have delivered a performance that secured his role as Pittsburgh’s primary returner entering the regular season.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: How Kaden Wetjen’s explosive punt return TD secured his roster spot
