Cameron Johnston is entering his third offseason with the Pittsburgh Steelers. To date, he’s appeared in just one game. Despite that limited resume, the Steelers are hoping to capture what they originally intended. As explained by the PPG’s Gerry Dulac, it’s the reason the Steelers recently re-signed Johnston, who is currently their only punter on the roster.
“I’m not at all surprised they brought back Cam Johnston,” Dulac said on 102.5 DVE with Randy Baumann Monday morning. “Because when they signed him two years ago, they really liked him. And that was a big signing for them at the time.”
In March 2024, Johnston inked a three-year, $9 million deal with Pittsburgh with the clear intent of being the Steelers’ starting punter. He had come off three solid seasons with the Houston Texans and proved his cold weather mettle during three previous years with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Johnston’s time in the role was cut short. In the ’24 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, he suffered a season-ending knee injury when teammate Miles Killebrew was blocked into him. Chris Boswell finished the game as the emergency punter and Scotty Miller the fill-in holder, the Steelers avoiding disaster and escaping with a win. Corliss Waitman was signed to finish the season.
Healthy for 2025, Johnston and Waitman battled in training camp for the starting role. Both enjoyed strong showings, but Waitman narrowly won the job, sending Johnston looking for work elsewhere. Despite the victory, Waitman didn’t have the season the team envisioned.
“The one thing about Corliss Waitman, and I like Corliss Waitman, but he doesn’t, for the most part, deliver in the games,” Dulac said. “To me, he’s a practice player. And I say that because when you watch him at training camp and you watch him in practice, you hear the thump, you see the ball, the distance. He can punt the ball. And it doesn’t translate into games.”
Waitman finished 2025 with a 45.5-yard gross average, 27th in the NFL and well below league average. Punting in Pittsburgh’s climate put him at a disadvantage but he still struggled in key moments and occasionally drew Mike Tomlin’s public ire. Waitman’s since signed with the San Francisco 49ers.
Johnston will hope for a much better third act. His minimum-level contract doesn’t guarantee him the starting job as it did in 2024. But he’ll likely be the camp favorite against whatever option the team turns to. A draft pick could complicate the situation, but Johnston’s experience will give him an initial edge.