2025 Pittsburgh Steelers - OTAs
Pittsburgh Steelers punter Corliss Waitman (8) during 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers - OTAs Kylee Surike | Special to PennLiveKylee Surike
LATROBE, Pa. -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the midst of a punter competition, and head coach Mike Tomlin wants to see who can rise to the top.
Tomlin says the plan is to alternate between Corliss Waitman and Cameron Johnston during each punting and holding opportunity, and whoever proves to be the better one will win the competition.
“We intend on using both punters and will trade for punt, and we probably won’t be in that posture until we get clarity throughout the preseason. It’s highly competitive. They’re both varsity, but that’s the type of competition that you want. You want guys to win jobs because of what they do, not because of what others don’t do. So far, we’ve been really impressed by both guys out here, the things that we’ve seen in team development will continue to watch them as we get into stadiums,” Tomlin said.
Waitman took over for Johnston last year in Week 2 after Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury during the team’s Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcons. Johnston’s recovery was swift, however, and he is now back to full strength, booming punts all over the field.
Waitman has the interesting angle of being a lefty, which can make it tougher for some returners to handle the spin on his punts.
Johnston still has two years left on his contract, while Waitman is heading into the last year of his two-year deal with the Steelers.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.