Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed veteran Cameron Johnston to solve their punting problems. Unfortunately, he suffered a major knee injury in Week 1 that forced him to miss the rest of the season. To replace him, the Steelers added Corliss Waitman, who performed well. That leaves the Steelers with a good problem to have. Johnston is healthy, and he and Waitman have been battling for the Steelers’ starting punter job. Going into the final preseason game, Mike Tomlin highlighted that battle as something to watch.
“We’ll trade blow for blow with the punters,” Tomlin said Tuesday via the team’s YouTube channel. “That’s the one that’s getting a lot of attention. Both guys have been highly competitive. So, that has our attention as we lean in on this last opportunity.”
As Tomlin likes to say, there are two dogs, but only one bone. And there are pros and cons to both players.
Johnston is the more experienced and proven player. He’s been in the league since 2017, and he’s been a starter for most of that time. During his last full season, he averaged 47.7 yards on 66 punts. While he only punted twice for the Steelers last year, he was great, averaging 51.5 yards.
In contrast, Waitman entered the league in 2020. He actually started off with the Steelers, before bouncing around to a few different places. His first full year as a starter was 2022, but he didn’t get on the field in 2023. Last year was a big bounce-back for him, though. In 16 games, he averaged 46.4 yards on 65 punts, giving the Steelers consistency at punter.
Also, Waitman costs a little less than Johnston. Both of them have performed well throughout training camp and the preseason. It’s a tight competition, and the slightest mistake could make all the difference. Punting might not be the most exciting part of the game, but it’s going to matter a lot for the Steelers this week — and beyond.
Against the Carolina Panthers, Waitman and Johnston will be battling to see which of them will stick with the Steelers. However, considering how well each has played, whoever loses should have a good chance at landing with another team. Hopefully, the Steelers make the correct decision.
