The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a surplus of noticeable weaknesses over the last handful of years. Offensive production being the one that has been the most troublesome, but that has often overshadowed other issues Pittsburgh took too long to address. Punting is an area of the game that has hurt Pittsburgh ever since 2021, when the organization drafted Pressley Harvin III in the seventh round. Harvin was released following the 2023 season, as Pittsburgh finally admitted the mistake that was drafting the punter.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin was getting noticeably irritated with the inconsistencies of Harvin's punting. Punts were shanked too often, and Harvin probably deserved to be released way before he actually was. In 2023, Tomlin called him out more than once during his postgame press conferences for his bad performances.
The organization finally moved on from Harvin, and went out and signed Cameron Johnston during 2024 free agency. Johnston is from Australia, which is where he got to know former Steelers punter Jordan Berry. Johnston spoke about the role Berry played in his signing during an interview with Chris Adamski.
"I’ve known Berry really, really well for a while now, so I messaged him before signing here and asked him about the Steelers, and he said everything was great. He said everything was really, really good here, and I agree. I’ve loved it since the first day I got here. Great group of guys and I am super excited. When this opportunity arose, we jumped on it right away, I am just looking forward to getting out there to try to help win some games.”
Berry spent six seasons as the Steelers punter from 2015 through the 2020 season, and signed onto the team's practice squad briefly in 2022. He spent enough time in Pittsburgh to be able to advise Johnston on his decision during free agency, and knows Pittsburgh is a place where Johnston can excel. Berry has never officially retired from the NFL, and is currently a free agent. He last played in 2022 with Pittsburgh's practice squad, and chose to vouch for Johnston rather than himself.
Johnston is one of the top punters in the NFL. He led the league in punting yards during the 2021 season, which is an area Pittsburgh definitely needed to upgrade. During the 2023 season, Johnston averaged four more net yards per punt than Harvin. He also pinned his opponent inside the 20 over 45 percent of the time while only recording three touchbacks in 13 games.
A great punter can really benefit the Steelers, especially since the team has one of the best defenses in the league. If Johnston can play at the same level he did in 2023, where he is consistently pinning opponents deep, Pittsburgh will excel. A defense led by TJ Watt, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith, and Minkah Fitzpatrick will carry that momentum and not allow opposing offenses to move the ball.
Steelers Don't Plan For Johnston To Be Punting A Lot
Unlike recent years, Pittsburgh plans on fielding a competent offense during the 2024 season. If all goes according to plan, Johnston won't be seeing the field a lot aside from holding kicks. Pittsburgh completely revamped the offense as reports coming out of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) have implied that the new offensive scheme looks impressive so far.
Pittsburgh's offense will be led by the rushing attack, which will be spearheaded by Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. They'll be running behind the best offensive line of their careers, while playing for the best offensive coordinator they have had in Arthur Smith. Smith led one of the best offenses in the league during his time with the Tennessee Titans, and that was with Ryan Tannehill at quarterback. He has way more weapons at his disposal in Pittsburgh, which should lead to a productive and effective offensive attack.
