Chris Boswell is the Pittsburgh Steelers career leader in net yards per punt. Let that sink in for a minute.
The sample size of just one punt doesn’t mean everything, but it means something — especially when that mark is just 43.0 yards. There were 10 punters who cleared that mark in 2025, let alone in franchise history.
The Steelers have tried a bit of everything, from drafting Pressley Harvin III to signing the “belle of the ball” in free agency with Cameron Johnston two offseasons ago. Neither worked for different reasons, and the Steelers landed on Corliss Waitman for the last two seasons.
He climbed to second on the franchise yards per punt list at 46.3, ironically behind Johnston’s two punts before his catastrophic knee injury. That still would have been 25th among punters during the 2025 season, and his actual 2025 mark was below that at 45.5 per attempt.
Waitman’s peak performance is perfectly fine, but there is a lack of consistency. His worst punts always seem to come in the most crucial moments. It’s not like he’s a young rookie figuring things out, either. Waitman will be 31 years old by the time training camp comes around this July. Like most positions in the NFL, it’s a young man’s game. Seven of the top 10 legs were under 30 in 2025.
Danny Smith was the one who brought Waitman to Pittsburgh. With him out the door, the veteran punter’s job can be considered at-risk. As it should be.
Here are three candidates the Steelers should consider this offseason to better the position.
Georgia P Brett Thorson
This might require a late-round draft pick to get him to Pittsburgh, and it would be completely worth it. The Aussie punter was a hit right out of the gate. He has a big leg, plenty of hangtime and great placement. I watched it live at the Senior Bowl, where he boomed punts 60-plus yards out of his own end zone during practice.
Here is one of his best. Punts don’t get much better.
The Ray Guy award winner had an average of 47.6 yards per punt during his best season and a long of 75 yards. Of his 156 career punt attempts, 87 of them were downed within the 20, only 19 were returned, and 12 resulted in touchbacks with an average hangtime of 4.34 seconds.
His college stats wouldn’t be an immediate upgrade over Waitman, but it’s common for punters to improve once they get to the NFL.
Look at Michael Dickson’s performance in the Super Bowl for the Seahawks and tell me a good punter isn’t worth a late-round draft pick. Especially when the Steelers have 12 projected picks this year.
Syracuse P Jack Stonehouse
Another college option that may be worth a late-round draft pick, Stonehouse comes from a punting family. His cousin is currently in the NFL, and his father and two uncles were college or NFL punters as well. Edging out Thorson in 2025 with a 47.1 yards per punt average and a long of 68, Stonehouse is remarkably consistent with his hangtime and directional punting.
Of his 202 college attempts, 70 were downed within the 20, 61 were returned, and 18 resulted in touchbacks with an average hangtime of 4.17 seconds.
Jack Stonehouse earned first team All-ACC honors after setting single season and career net punting yard records for @CuseFootball @_JackStonehouse is a field flipping weapon with 38 career punts over 50 yards and 44 downed inside the 20 https://t.co/M9jI6mnSVC pic.twitter.com/J2uP8yJ8fQ
— Shane Coughlin (@Shane__Coughlin) December 4, 2025
FA P Ryan Stonehouse
Jack’s cousin Ryan is worth a look here, too.
He couldn’t stick to an NFL roster last year and wasn’t the same in 2024 after a serious knee injury in Dec. 2023, but Stonehouse was phenomenal for his first two NFL seasons with a 53.1 yards per punt average. He was a second-team All-Pro in his first season with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.
At 26 years old and another year removed from the knee injury, he is worth a shot. His 2024 average took a hit at 50.6, but that would still be the highest in Steelers franchise history. His hangtime and directional punting was an issue that season, which is just as important.
His big leg is worth a chance.
Pending FA P Blake Gillikin
Gillikin is one of the reigning gross yards per punt leaders from the 2025 season at 51.7. He had a net average of 44.8 per attempts and a long of 63. In 271 career punts, 110 have been pinned inside the 20, 125 were returned and 16 resulted in a touchback with an average of 4.29 seconds of hangtime.
Some of you might recognize him from his Penn State days. At just 28 years old and set to become a free agent in March, Gillikin is a reasonable option to raise Pittsburgh’s floor in the punting game. He only played five games last year before going to IR with a lingering back issue, so he would need to clear medicals before signing.
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