The Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting punter job came down to the wire. Corliss Waitman beat out Cameron Johnston by just an inch. Or rather, a foot. Shedding more light on why Waitman won the job over Johnston, Mike Tomlin said their footedness played a factor.
“A side note, in my opinion, is the fact that he’s left-footed,” Tomlin told Bob Pompeani during this week’s Mike Tomlin Show via the team’s YouTube channel. “And when you’re left-footed, that creates some issues in the return game. If you remember the last year, there were four or five punts on the ground last year. Punts that were tough to handle because returners don’t see a lot of it.”
We noted this in our final Steelers roster evaluations. Being left-footed didn’t alone give Waitman the edge, but given how close the battle was, it helped break the tie.
“I’ll stick with Waitman over Johnston,” we wrote in our final roster prediction. “Mainly for his left-footed advantage that creates a different spin on the football and causes issues for punt returners.”
Tomlin pointed out that the problems returners face aren’t just academic. Pittsburgh’s consistently benefited.
“You can think about our second preseason game,” he said. “We were playing the Bucs, and they had the young returner Tez Johnson back there. And he mishandled one of Corliss’ punts.”
Against Tampa Bay, Johnson was unable to pick up where the ball was going to land. It hit the ground instead of being fielded, and Johnson made the additional mistake of trying to field the bouncing ball. It hit off his hand, making it live, and WR Max Hurleman recovered it for the turnover.
Teams often bring in left-footed punters during the week if they’re set to face one in a game, helping returners familiarize themselves with the football’s spin. Every little edge teams can gain helps the cause, and it proved to be the edge for Waitman to win the job.
Waitman was brought back after Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury in last year’s opener. He punted well, averaging 46.4-yards per punt on 65 boots. That narrowly missed the Steelers’ single-season record for gross average, a mark still held by Bobby Joe Green’s 47.0 set all the way back in 1961. League-wide, Waitman’s numbers weren’t spectacular, but punting in Pittsburgh’s difficult weather conditions means averages will never be among the NFL’s elite. Of the top eight punters in 2024 gross average, two kicked in domes while five played in warm climates.
Johnston returned healthy, and his play reminded us why Pittsburgh signed him to a three-year contract ahead of the 2024 season. But he narrowly lost the battle and isn’t on an NFL roster to begin the season. The next punter injury will likely open the door for him to return.
“We just feel like Corliss was a little bit better, a little bit more consistent in the process,” Tomlin said. “It maybe not have showed up in stadiums, but we watched those guys closely every day. He’s to be congratulated for his efforts. He showed a high level of consistency.”
Now, Waitman has to prove the Steelers correct. Ideally, Pittsburgh’s doing less punting than a season ago, finishing in the top half of the league in punts. Even with a new look and hopefully upgraded offense, it won’t be a top-five unit posting points at will. Waitman’s services will be needed as the first line of defense, creating field position and headaches for returners before T.J. Watt and company take the field.
