Steven Sims Ready for Steelers' First Return Touchdown in Too Long

It's been years since the Pittsburgh Steelers special teams found the endzone. Steven Sims is on the verge of changing that.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have seen explosive return plays in recent years, but it's been longer than you'd think since they last found the endzone on special teams. 

The years of Ray-Ray McCloud brought some electric special teams play, but it hasn't been since 2017, on a return from JuJu Smith-Schuster, that the Steelers took a kickoff to the house. 

The last time they scored on a punt return, not including a blocked punt? 2019 by Diontae Johnson. 

That could change this season. 

Steven Sims burst onto the scene in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills and took two games, and four returns to prove he was the man for the job. How'd he do it? With an 89-yard burst, improvised by the wideout, that nearly found its way to the endzone. 

Now, he's looking for more. The Steelers haven't slowed down their return game, averaging 25.6 yards per kick return since Simms hit the scene. And he's ready to find the endzone. 

"I definitely feel it. Any week. I feel that way every week, every return that I'm capable of taking it back," Sims said. "We're close, we're so close. A trip up here, a little piece of a guy here, just grabbing me or getting off a block at the last second and slowing me down. It's right there, it's so close,"

It's more than Sims, though. The Steelers special teams unit seems to have a bit more juice than in years past. With Miles Killebrew, Marcus Allen, Benny Snell Jr., Derek Watt and Miles Boykin all standing tall amongst those aces in the NFL, it just feels like this group is different. 

"We're a great unit in the special team room," Sims said. "We can change the game in our room, without the offense and defense. As far as punt block, everything we've got to do, kickoff, kickoff return, punt return, we can make plays in those areas to help the team win the game, and Danny [Smith] knows that and he believes that and we believe that."

Sims has a kick return touchdown under his belt already, taking one 91-yards to the endzone as a rookie in 2019 with the Washington Commanders. He knew he was gone when it was just him and the kicker. 

"Really, when I got through the lane, kind of like I got through it on the long kick return here. Once I got through, I feel like I'm gone," Sims said. "But at that point, it was literally just me and the kicker. So I was like, he's not catching me."

He's ready for that sight again. 

"We're going to pop one," Sims said. "It's coming."

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