The Pittsburgh Steelers made a slew of moves as the legal tampering period of free agency began. However, they still had several holes on their roster after the first day. One of their more underrated needs was a punter. Corliss Waitman held that position for them last year, but he struggled. Now, he’s a restricted free agent, and the Steelers didn’t tender him. That led to them signing Cam Johnston, who was previously with the team in 2024. Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz shared his reaction to the news and also implied that Waitman could return.
“Both Cam [Johnston] and Corliss [Waitman] are two pro punters,” Kuntz said Tuesday on Steelers Nation Radio. “Regardless of if they’re here competing with each other, they’re two of the best in the world. They’re gonna have jobs… It will be good to have him back.
“He’s a great dude, a great human being, an unbelievable punter, great holder, too, and obviously Corliss is as well. I’m excited to have both of them back. Those two love it. They’re two pros, and they compete at the highest level. It just elevates their game and makes them better as punters. I’m sure it’s gonna be a fun training camp again.”
Johnston’s first stint in Pittsburgh wasn’t excellent, but that wasn’t entirely his fault. He started well with two booming punts in Week 1. However, he suffered a serious leg injury in that same game that forced him to miss the rest of the season.
While Johnston was healthy and still under contract with the Steelers in 2025, he lost the punting battle to Waitman in the offseason. That caused the team to release him.
The Steelers bringing Johnston back doesn’t feel like a good omen for Waitman’s chances of sticking around. Kuntz seems to imply that it’s happening, although there’s no telling how much he actually knows. The team hasn’t tendered Waitman, but they could bring him back on a cheap deal.
Johnston dealt with injury issues again last year, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Steelers wanted to bring in some competition for him. Many of the other top free agent punters were signed quickly, so Waitman might be their best bet to add alongside Johnston.
We’ll see if the Steelers actually bring Waitman back or add other serious competition for Johnston. While the Steelers’ coaching staff is different compared to when he was last with them, he’s still familiar with Kuntz and Chris Boswell. That could be enough to earn him the starting job for the 2026 season.