The Steelers have two quality punters in Cameron Johnston and Corliss Waitman, but only one of them can start—in Pittsburgh. Steelers LS Christian Kuntz, however, isn’t worried about their employment. The Steelers won’t carry both on the team, obviously, but he thinks both will be on rosters
“Both of the guys are two pros. We love them both”, Kuntz said on 102.5 WDVE about Johnston and Waitman. “They’re unreal human beings, great punters. It’s just kind of unfortunate that they’re here competing, but whoever’s here or not, I’m very confident that both of these guys are gonna be punting Week 1, whether it’s here or somewhere else”.
“I don’t see either of them looking for a job for long”.
The Steelers signed Cameron Johnston as a free agent last year, inked to a three-year, $9 million contract. That’s good money for a punter, but Johnston was also one of the elite punters in the NFL. In 2023, he averaged 43.7 net yards per punt, fifth-best in the NFL.
The only problem is Johnston tore his ACL two punts into his Steelers career. Pittsburgh was fortunate to have the opportunity to sign Corliss Waitman, who filled in very respectably. In fact, he did more than that—he set Steelers single-season punting marks.
The only thing is, Waitman’s best was merely league average—literally. He averaged 41.4 net yards per punt for the Steelers last season, which was exactly the league average. Waitman ranked 18th in net yards per punt, but it was still better than any Steelers punter ever had.
In six full seasons, Johnston has bettered that mark five times, which is worth bearing in mind. The Steelers, of course, also have more money tied to him, which is not a negligible consideration. Waitman is also almost as old as Johnston, so that’s not a major factor.
Personally, I think Johnson would really have to lose the job for the Steelers to move on. If anything, I feel the Steelers are angling to parlay Corliss Waitman for a draft pick. While it might sound crazy, they once shifted Brad Wing to the Giants following a battle with Jordan Berry. A quick analysis points to teams like the Saints and Bills as two teams who could be in the market for a punter.
Prior to the Steelers’ first preseason game, HC Mike Tomlin confirmed there is a competition for the punter job. At least in theory, there is, and he said Johnston and Waitman would go “punt for punt”. Waitman punted once in the preseason opener, booming one 57 yards. Johnston punted twice with a long of 52, averaging 47. But Waitman had the greater runway, with Johnston pinning one of his inside the 20.
If the offense struggles more in the next two weeks, the Steelers could get a longer look at both Waitman and Johnston. And so can the rest of the NFL, particularly teams in the market for a punter.