Steelers Make Shocking Punter Battle Decision
The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially declared a winner in their punter competition.
Before the 53-man roster cutdown deadline at 4:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, the Steelers made the surprising decision to release Cameron Johnston, therefore crowning Corliss Waitman as their starting punter.
The two veterans were entrenched in a position battle throughout the entire offseason, with neither player really pulling ahead of the other.
In the Steelers' preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 9, Johnston's two punts went for 94 yards while Waitman's lone attempt was 57 yards.
Facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium on August 16, Johnston's three punts went for 127 yards, which was good for an average of 42.3 yards, while Waitman totaled 174 yards on his three attempts, resulting in an average of 58.0 yards.
Based purely on the numbers from those first two exhibition contests, it rightfully appeared as though Waitman had a leg-up. His only punt against the Carolina Panthers in the preseason finale, however, went for just 35 yards from Pittsburgh's own 35-yard line, which led to some doubt about his chances of sticking with the team.
Johnston had only one attempt in that game as well, and while it went a mere 33 yards, he had less field to work with considering he punted from Carolina 46-yard line.
The consensus was that Johnston had done enough to win the job, but Waitman got the nod instead and will now play in a third different regular season for the Steelers.
Waitman signed with Pittsburgh last September and served as its punter for nearly the entire 2024 campaign after Johnston, who signed a three-year deal worth $9 million with the team last offseason, sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Per Over the Cap, the Steelers will save $2.5 million both in 2025 and 2026 while taking on just over $958,000 in dead money in both of those years by cutting Johnston.
The Australian native, who has appeared in 96 games throughout his seven-year career for Pittsburgh, the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles, will now look to latch on with another team.
