Though almost certainly unintentional, Danny Smith took a jab at former Pittsburgh Steelers P Pressley Harvin III and the team’s 2023 unit, a group that struggled for another year. It led to Harvin being shown the door and the team quickly jumping on veteran punter Cameron Johnston, one of the first players to sign once free agency opened up. To Smith, the team’s woes of yesteryear won’t continue.
“I love him,” Smith said of Johnston via a media-provided transcript. “He’s a real pro. He’s strong. He’s good. He’s got game and I call game different types of punts. We could do a lot of things with him in that game. He’s a pro. I love him. I really do. He’s going to really help us. I think you’re going to see a big improvement in that area with him.”
Pittsburgh finished last season with one of the NFL’s worst punting units. They ranked 31st in gross average at 44.0, only ahead of the New Orleans Saints. Their net ranking was only slightly better, 29th at 39.1 yards. Their touchback rate was among the 10 worst/highest while their “Inside the 20” rate was only average and even then, too many punts were caught at the 19 instead of the nine.
Harvin continued to battle inconsistency and was routinely called out by Tomlin post-game. After displaying early-season promise, Harvin limped to the end of the year. In December and January, he managed only 42.2 yards per punt with a 38-yard net average. Weather is a factor in Pittsburgh, but those numbers were still below the line and for the season, he regressed compared to 2022. Released in February, he’s yet to find a new NFL home.
Johnston could be the best punter Pittsburgh’s had since Daniel Sepulevda. An Aussie with experience in the cold at Ohio State and with the Philadelphia Eagles, he posted a strong 47.7 yards per punt last year with a net that nearly equaled Harvin’s gross. Hangtime isn’t Johnston’s strong suit but accuracy, placement, and leg strength are.
Under Harvin, the Steelers never finished better than 26th in gross-punting average. The team hasn’t finished above-average in that category since 2019 and hasn’t finished in the top 10 since 2010. With Cameron Johnston, those droughts could finally change. Smith sounds confident they will.
