It took roughly half a decade, but Steelers P Corliss Waitman finally saw Danny Smith make good on his word. When coming out of the draft, Waitman recently recalled, Smith coaxed him to sign with the Steelers with the promise of a fair chance of competing. Although he has punted for them twice before, he only won his first job with the Steelers in 2025.
“Danny keeps it 1,000. He told me, ‘Listen, man, a lot of people are gonna call you and they’re gonna give you a higher signing bonus’”, Corliss Waitman said on the Arthur Moats Experience. “But he said, ‘At least here, I can tell you you’re gonna get a real-deal shot. We at Pittsburgh, we want to win, and the best guy’s gonna play. I’m not gonna tell you you’re gonna win, but you’re gonna get a fait shot. Not just a shot, but a fair shot’”.
“I was like, ‘Man, I like the sound of this’. So that’s how I ended up picking the Steelers, and I’m glad I did because there’s nothing like the Steelers”.
Undrafted in 2020, Corliss Waitman went a year without football in 2019 after being denied eligibility. Signing at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, teams had the luxury of expanded practice squads, a concession the NFL allowed to accommodate for players missing time due to infection or exposure.
Waitman spent that season on the Steelers’ practice squad, learning from and about Danny Smith. They let him go the following summer after drafting P Pressley Harvin III, but he punted two games that season after Harvin required personal time off.
After his two-game cameo, Waitman punted for the Denver Broncos in 2022, but struggled to find steady employment afterward. Meanwhile, into 2024, the Steelers parted with Harvin and signed veteran Cameron Johnston. Two punts into his Steelers career, however, he injured his knee.
Pittsburgh signed Waitman, and he punted for the rest of the year, setting a Steelers record. With Johnston back from his injury, most assumed they would hand him the job. After all, they were scheduled to pay him $3 million per season.
But Danny Smith kept to his word, and he gave both Johnston and Waitman their “fair shot” to win the job. Waitman won, while Johnston landed on his feet and is now punting for the 3-0 Bills. It’s easy work, considering the Bills barely ever punt, but Waitman is grateful he didn’t need to look for a new job.
Through two games this season, Waitman has eight punts for 511 yards. He has a 51.4-yard gross average, with a net of 42.8 yards. Right now, that net mark would be the highest in Steelers history, though that’s not saying much. For context, he ranks 14th in the NFL in net punting average. His Steelers-record season of a year ago saw him finish 18th.
