The Pittsburgh Steelers are wasting no time in addressing their hole at punter. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on September 9 that the Steelers “plan to sign” former undrafted free agent punter Corliss Waitman.
“The Steelers plan to sign Corliss Waitman, per his agent Alexa Stabler, after Cameron Johnson suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday,” wrote Pelissero on X (formerly Twitter).
“It’s the third stint with Pittsburgh for Waitman, who originally signed there as an undrafted free agent in 2020.”
Technically, this will be Waitman’s third stint with the Steelers. However, Pittsburgh has previously waived him three times. He is signing back with the Steelers a day after punter Cameron Johnston suffered a gruesome knee injury.
In his postgame press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin called Johnston’s injury “significant.” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on September 9 that Johnston will be out for the season.
The Steelers signed Johnston to a 3-year, $9 million contract this past offseason.
Steelers Punter Cameron Johnston Sustains Season-Ending Injury
Although the Steelers didn’t reach the end zone against the Falcons in Week 1, they also only punted 3 times. Johnston did well on his first two attempts, averaging 51.5 yards per punt and pinning the Falcons at the 10-yard line once.
But on his third punt, Falcons wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge made significant contact with Johnston’s kicking leg just as it landed back on the ground.
Based on the replay of the hit, it’s not surprising Johnston will miss the rest of the season.
Although punters are not consider regular starters, Johnston could be a huge loss for the Steelers. If Week 1 foreshadowed anything about the 2024 Steelers, Pittsburgh plans to win games this fall via strong defense and special teams while playing mistake-free offense.
It’s a lot harder to win with that formula without a reliable punter.
Johnston was entering his seventh NFL season this year. He has averaged 47.3 yards per punt in 96 career games. More than 40% of his punts have landed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
In 2021, Johnston led the NFL with 4,108 punt yards while with the Houston Texans. He spent three seasons in Houston from 2021-23 and punted three years for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2018-20.
Waitman is back where his career started, hoping to offer the Steelers a viable replacement for Johnston.
The Steelers signed Waitman as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL draft. He didn’t make the team out of training camp, but Waitman signed with the team’s practice squad in November 2020.
After the Steelers waived Waitman in May 2021, he spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots. But Waitman returned to Pittsburgh to make his NFL regular season debut. He punted for the Steelers in two games toward the end of the 2021 season with Pressley Harvin on bereavement leave.
The Steelers then waived Waitman after the season.
In 2022, he punted 17 games for the Denver Broncos. He led the NFL with 96 punts that season, averaging 46.6 yards per attempt. He pinned opposing teams inside the 20-yard line on 30 of his punts.
Waitman spent part of last season on the Patriots practice squad.
The Steelers have six days to get Waitman ready or settle their punting situation in another way. They will visit the Broncos in Week 2 on September 15.
