With veteran punter Cameron Johnston lost for the season following a knee injury suffered in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Pitsburgh Steelers are bringing back a familiar face to handle the punting duties.
According to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, the Steelers are planning to sign veteran punter Corliss Waitman.
Waitman spent the 2020 season on the Steelers’ practice squad after being signed as an undrafted free agent out of South Alabama. He was waived at the end of training camp and landed on the practice squad, and then signed a Reserve/Futures deal in January 2021.
But the Steelers then cut him in May 2021. Late in the 2021 season the Steelers re-signed Waitman after punter Pressley Harvin III went on bereavement leave, allowing Waitman to punt in two games for the Steelers.
In those two games, Waitman punted seven times, averaging 52.1 yards.
During the 2021 season, Waitman punted against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16 twice in a 36-10 loss, averaging 60 yards. Then, in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns in a 26-14 win, Waitman punted five times for 244 yards, averaging 48.8 yards.
Since his stint with the Steelers, Waitman has spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, and Chicago Bears. Waitman was with the Bears this summer and spent training camp with Chicago before being released on Aug. 27.
During the preseason with the Bears, Waitman punted nine times for 401 yards, averaging 44.6 yards. His net average was 40.1 yards. Waitman had one touchback, three punts downed inside the 20, and a long of 53 yards.
Waitman was the punter for Denver in 2022 and punted 96 times for 4,470 yards, averaging 46.6 yards. He had a long of 59 yards and averaged 41.4 net yards per punt that season, downing 30 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line with just six touchbacks.
Johnston was lost for the season in the fourth quarter Sunday in Atlanta after a defender fell into his kicking leg, which was planted in the turf following his punt, causing his right knee to buckle in ugly fashion. Johnston hobbled off the field after team trainers looked at him and then was later carted to the locker room.
Head coach Mike Tomlin stated after the game that the injury was “serious” in nature, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Johnston’s season was over.
