The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the 2024 season with a new punter in Cameron Johnston. The Steelers decided to part ways with Pressley Harvin III following last season and went the expensive route to replace him in hopes of finding some stability at the position.
Johnston will be entering his seventh season as a starting punter as he spent three years in Philadelphia and then three years in Houston. The thing the Steelers like about Johnston was his consistency. Over his six seasons, his average yards per punt have been nearly identical each season, only deviating by less than two yards.
Another thing that the team like about the Aussie is that he is a professional in the sense that he shows up and does his job day-in and day-out. That quality also stuck out to Johnston’s new special teams partner Christian Kuntz.
“He’s a pro,” Kuntz told Chris Adamski of The Tribe Live about Johnston. “Cam’s been around for a while, and he’s done it in multiple different stadiums and teams. He hits great heights [with his kicks], and he’s an Aussie guy so those end-over-ends are good. And he’s a good dude too, so it’s good to have that.”
For Johnston, he lived across the state in Philly for three years and in Columbus, Ohio for four seasons while at Ohio State, so he is familiar with the area but was not so familiar with the team. The one connection that Johnston had within the Steelers organization prior to him signing in Pittsburgh was former Steelers punter Jordan Berry.
“I’ve known [Jordan] 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,” Johnston said. “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.”
While the familiarity of the team was not there, Johnston knows the history of the franchise and did not think twice about signing with a historic organization like the Steelers.
“When this opportunity arose, we jumped on it right away,” Johnston said. “I am just looking forward to getting out there to try to help win some games.”
Johnston is a breath of fresh air at the punter position after three rough seasons with Harvin in control. He will be the team’s punter for at least three seasons and will begin to show off his leg to the Pittsburgh faithful in training camp next week.
5 • Cameron Johnston, Punter, Ohio State
5-foot-11, 194 pounds, 32 years old, 7th Season
Acquired: The Steelers signed Cameron Johnston to a three-year contract this offseason after he spent three seasons in Philadelphia and then three seasons in Houston.
Last season: Cameron Johnston finished 14th in the NFL in the gross yards per punt in 2023, averaging 47.7 yards per kick. In comparison, former Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III was 32nd at 43.8 yards per punt.
Johnston fared much better when comparing his net average, which was 43.7 yards per punt, good enough for a tie for fifth in the league. Harvin was 33rd in net average at 39.1. Johnston was also third in the NFL in fair catches forced, and sixth in the punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
Career: Cameron Johnston signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent following the 2017 NFL Draft. He did not manage to make the team’s final roster but signed a reserve/futures contract with the team for the 2018 season.
He made the team in 2018 and was named as their starting punter, a role he would hold with the Eagles for three seasons. After his first three seasons in the NFL, Johnston relocated to Houston when he signed with the Texans for the 2021 season. He would spend three seasons as a Texan before coming to Pittsburgh.
| Year | GP | Punts | Yards | AVG | Long | Inside of 20 |
| 2018 | 16 | 61 | 2,937 | 48.2 | 68 | 24 |
| 2019 | 16 | 71 | 3,292 | 46.4 | 61 | 28 |
| 2020 | 16 | 71 | 3,318 | 46.7 | 66 | 26 |
| 2021 | 17 | 88 | 4,108 | 46.7 | 69 | 37 |
| 2022 | 17 | 88 | 4,229 | 48.1 | 67 | 37 |
| 2023 | 13 | 66 | 3,145 | 47.6 | 74 | 30 |
College: A native of Geelong, Australia, Cameron Johnston played his collegiate football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. From 2014 to 2017, Johnston was the team’s starting punter and punted in 54 games over his four seasons. Johnston earned second-team All-Big Ten honors following the 2015 season and first-team All-Big Ten honors following the 2016 season. Additionally, the Big Ten named Johnston as the conferences Punter of the Year following the 2016 season.
Johnston won the 2014 National Championship as a member of the Buckeyes team.
| Year | GP | Punts | Yards | AVG |
| 2014 | 13 | 49 | 2,156 | 44.0 |
| 2015 | 15 | 48 | 2,164 | 45.1 |
| 2016 | 13 | 58 | 2,549 | 43.9 |
| 2017 | 13 | 56 | 2,614 | 46.7 |
Salary cap and future: Cameron Johnston agreed to a three-year, $9 million contract with the Steelers on the first day of the league’s “legal tampering period.” In 2024, Johnston will count for $2.08 million against the Steelers cap space. His salary will jump to $3.46 million the next two seasons making this the most cost-effective year of his contract for the team.
