Player: P Corliss Waitman
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: The Steelers signed a familiar face in P Corliss Waitman in the wake of the season-ending injury to starter Cameron Johnston. A former college free agent, Waitman punted for the team for two games in 2021. He subsequently played for the Denver Broncos, but did not punt during the 2023 season. Notably, the Steelers chose Waitman over their own former starter for the past three seasons, Pressley Harvin III.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans who wanted the Steelers to choose Corliss Waitman over Pressley Harvin III finally received their delayed gratification. I won’t say something so stupid as “was it worth the wait?”, because Waitman’s signing comes at a significant cost.
The Steelers needed a new punter because starter Cameron Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury during the season opener. But the fact remains they had both Corliss Waitman and Pressley Harvin III available to sign, and they signed Waitman.
Originally signed by the Steelers in 2020 out of South Alabama as a college free agent, Waitman spent his first year on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. They released him the following May but kept his name in the Rolodex. When Harvin experienced great personal tragedy dealing with the death of his father and grandmother, they called upon Waitman, signed off the Patriots’ practice squad, to punt for them late in the 2021 season.
In those two games, he averaged 52.1 gross yards on seven punts with a net of 42.6. Those are respectable figures, but the Steelers turned back to Harvin when he returned to the team. Waitman did earn a job with the Broncos in 2022, so is now technically reuniting with Russell Wilson. That year, he punted an astronomical 96 times with 41.4-yard net and 46.6-yard gross averages.
I would hasten to add that the Steelers are in no way committed to sticking with Corliss Waitman. He will have to earn his job on a weekly basis, as they can always try out more punters. They worked out several—not including Harvin—before signing him. If he doesn’t work out, the Steelers can waive him with no salary cap implications.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
