Steel City Underground takes fans back in time to feature events, special moments, and historical times and players in the world of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers Nation. Join us as we revisit these moments in our “Steelers Throwback Thursday” series.
With the selection of Kaden Wetjen by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, a move that some fans have questioned, we thought some perspective about past players who had success flipping the field as returners might illustrate the importance of the position. We present the Steelers’ all-time top returners in this throwback.
Woodson: No. 1 all-time
Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 1987 NFL draft, played his first ten NFL seasons with the team. Despite setting NFL records in fumble recoveries (32) by a defensive player, and interceptions returned for a touchdown (12), and named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1993, he also is the undisputed franchise leader in both punt return yards and total return yards. He remains one of the most explosive and feared returners in NFL history, consistently flipping field position as a true dual-threat returner.
On 260 punt returns, Woodson racked-up 2362 yards and 2 touchdowns. He added 220 kickoff returns for 4894 yards and 2 touchdowns. His return yards per punt average was 9.1 yards and his longest went for 80 yards while his return yards per kickoff return average was 22.2 with a 92-yard return on his record while in Pittsburgh.
Antonio Brown (2010–2018)
- Punt Returns: 186 for 1,759 yards and 4 touchdowns.
- Kickoff Returns: 47 for 1,172 and 1 touchdown
Brown holds the franchise record for the most punt return touchdowns and is second only to Woodson in total punt return yards. He was an electric playmaker who made four Pro Bowls while handling primary punt-returning duties early in his career. Known mostly for his receiving prowess, Brown proved very effective in handling return duties when asked.
Antwaan Randle El (2002–2005, 2010)
- Punt Returns: 182 returns for 1,650 yards and 4 touchdowns.
- Kickoff Returns: 76 returns for 1,742 yards.
Tied with Brown for the most punt return touchdowns in team history, Randle El provided reliable, dynamic field-flipping capability and remains third on the all-time Steelers punt return yards list. Randle El was not just a returner and receiver – much like the other players on this list. Randle El also threw 16 completions on 18 attempts for 170 yards and 4 touchdowns. His touchdown pass to Hines Ward in Super Bowl XL was a highlight reel moment in his career with the Steelers. Randle El is one rare player who had two modern-era stints with Pittsburgh.
Honorable mentions
Lynn Chandnois: The star 1950s running back held the franchise record in kickoff return yards (2,309 yards) for nearly two decades until surpassed by Larry Anderson (1978-1991, 2866 yards).
Louis Lipps: A true deep threat receiver and explosive playmaker in the 1980s, Lipps recorded 1,212 punt return yards and 3 touchdowns.
Top 5 kickoff returners (franchise history) by yards
- Rod Woodson: 4,894 yards (1987–1996)
- Larry Anderson: 2,866 yards (1978–1981)
- Lynn Chandnois: 2,720 yards (1950–1956)
- Dwight Stone: 2,086 yards (1987–1994)
- Will Blackwell: 1,772 yards (1997–2001)
Top 5 punt returners (franchise history) by yards
- Rod Woodson: 2,362 yards
- Antonio Brown: 1,759 yards
- Antwaan Randle El: 1,650 yards
- Theo Bell: 1,259 yards (1976-1980)
- Louis Lipps: 1,212 yards (1984-1991)
Position importance
Players who were tagged as “returners” often proved to be valuable to the Pittsburgh Steelers in areas other than special teams. As you can see from our honorable mentions and franchise leaders in both kickoffs and punt returns, the Steelers were able to utilize those individuals as positional skill players – on offense and defense. Many of them became franchise stars, Pro Bowlers, and earned conference honors
Wetjen becomes the next man up in the footsteps of a number of return specialists for Pittsburgh. The Consensus All-American (2025),
First-team All-American (2024),
2× Jet Award (2024, 2025),
2× Big Ten Return Specialist of the Year (2024, 2025), and
2× First-team All-Big Ten (2024, 2025) former Iowa Hawkeye surpassed Tim Dwight‘s record in return touchdowns in a career. At Iowa, Wetjen recorded 1,538 yards on 56 kickoff returns (2 touchdowns) and 954 yards on 54 punt returns (4 touchdowns). He was also used as a rusher and receiver despite playing deep in the roster.
The Steelers certainly could use a spark on special teams in the return game. Wetjen may create opportunities for the Steelers offense to not only start at a better position on the field, but find ways to add special teams scores that had dipped.