A Pittsburgh Steelers punter has record season. It might not be a sexy headline but it’s a potential reality for new Steelers punter Cameron Johnston in 2024.
A key and underrated signing for a Steelers club plagued by punting problems since — when did Chris Gardocki last play? — Johnston is a proven veteran with a big leg. But his technique and consistency, even with a funky-looking rugby delivery, separate him from players like Pressley Harvin III, who could boom a football 60 yards one punt and shank one into the third row the next.
If Johnston even repeats his 2023 performance, 47.1 yards of gross average (the distance the punt goes without considering the return), it’ll be a historic number in Steelers’ history. As we’ve noted more times than even I expected this offseason, the Steelers’ record for gross average has stood for over 60 years. Bobby Joe Green – the team’s other Joe Green – averaged 47.0 yards a punt in 1961.
Removing non-qualifiers who didn’t punt enough like Corliss Waitman and Bob Gage – who we also just wrote about today – here’s the current leaderboard for top single-season averages in Steelers’ history.
Top Punting Averages, Team History
1. Bobby Joe Green – 47.0 yards (1961)
2. Pat Brady – 46.9 yards (1953)
3. Jordan Berry – 45.8 yards (2020)
4. Jordan Berry – 45.6 yards (2016)
5. Jordan Berry – 45.5 yards (2019)
It’s not a great sign to see Jordan Berry, an average punter, populate most of the Steelers’ list. Daniel Sepulevda was averaging 46.1 yards in 2011 before a knee injury ended his season and his NFL career. His 25 punts that year aren’t enough to include on this list.
While Berry’s name might be most striking on the list, what stands out most are the top two. Not just their number but the year. Green in 1961, Brady in 1953. You wouldn’t think numbers from 60, 70 years would stand the test of time. Not when it comes to punting (though Sammy Baugh’s record was just broken by Ryan Stonehouse in 2022).
Largely, statistics are where specialists improve over time. As players hone their craft more and more, as the position becomes more dedicated and specialized, players get better. Completion percentages for quarterbacks steadily rise while interception rates drop. There’s a clear and easy trend line of kickers making more field goals than they once did (in 2003, kickers made 79.2 percent of their field goals; in 2023, they made 85.9 percent of them). And punting averages generally increase over time, too.
So for Pittsburgh to have its leaders come before the merger is pretty insane. It’s a bar that should’ve been beaten already. Registering more than 47 yards of gross average isn’t hard to do anymore. Last year, 17 of the 33 qualified punters beat that mark. In 2022, 16 of them did. The Steelers never have topped it.
For the past two seasons and three of his six NFL seasons, Johnston has topped 47.0 yards per kick. He’s never averaged worse than 46.4. It’s important to point out he’s benefitted from kicking in the warm weather that Houston offers, and the Texans’ stadium also has a retractable roof. Kicking there compared to a Pittsburgh winter isn’t the same. Still, Johnston is battle-tested in the cold. He attended Ohio State and averaged 46.7 yards his senior season. Signing with the Philadelphia Eagles, he averaged over 48 yards in 2018, his first year as the team’s starting punter. Cold climates aren’t new to him.
For Cameron Johnston, this record isn’t a high bar to clear. But clearing it will be important. He’s the Steelers’ first line of defense and being able to pin teams deep with more regularity will be key to winning the always-tight games Pittsburgh plays. If Johnston can’t break the record, it’ll feel like a disappointment.
