Given how lackluster the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense has been in recent years, punter has become quite an important position for the team. They were excited to have Cameron Johnston on board last season, but that excitement ended up being short-lived. Johnston suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of the year. Now that he’s back healthy, his head coach Mike Tomlin seems excited to have him.
“I just really appreciate his mindset regarding his rehabilitation,” Tomlin said, speaking to the media after Thursday’s minicamp practice. “Not only the things that you guys get to see out here, but throughout the process. Man, he stayed engaged all year. He was an asset to Corliss [Waitman] and others, he was ever-present. He’s a true professional, and I respect it.”
Before coming to Pittsburgh, the Australian-born punter was in the process of putting together a nice career. In his prior six seasons, he’d never averaged less than 46.4 yards per punt. 40.9-percent of his career punts have landed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. He even led the league in punting yards in 2021 with 4,108, and topped that number the following year with 4,229.
However, Johnston is entering a situation in 2025 that might be trickier than he expects. While he wasn’t the best punter in the league by any margin last year, Corliss Waitman did do a serviceable job filling in upon Johnston’s injury last year. Waitman is still with the team, and speaking to the media this week, special teams coordinator Danny Smith didn’t close the door on a potential battle for the punting job this year.
With that said, Johnston would figure to have the upper hand in that battle. He’s recovering well from his injury, according to himself, and will be fully healthy for training camp. Reports also suggest that he’s been kicking the ball well during practice so far, also helping his case.
Another thing in his favor is his salary. Johnston was signed to a three-year $9 million contract, a rather large one for punters. If he’s healthy and playing well, it’s hard to imagine the Steelers not choosing him after handing him that contract last offseason. Considering that, plus the encouraging words from Tomlin here, it would seem like it’s his job to lose.
The Steelers certainly hope their offense is good enough that they won’t have to count on their punter too often this year. However, field position is something they’re prioritizing, as always. In that regard, they’ve got to be excited to have a punter like Cameron Johnston on the roster.
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