ClutchPoints
The Pittsburgh Steelers have seen the conclusion of 2026 minicamp and OTAs and will rest ahead of the upcoming NFL Preseason. However, coaches and the front office will be hard at work evaluating the final 53-man roster and making cuts from the 90 total players on the offseason roster. Several key positional battles may determine who stays and who gets cut following 2026 minicamp.
The Steelers will be looking to improve from a 10-7 mark last season that saw a disappointing finish in the AFC Wild Card. Mike Tomlin departed as head coach after 19 seasons as veteran coach and Super Bowl XLV winner Mike McCarthy is reunited with his former quarterback Aaron Rodgers for one last season. Ironically, the pair won their Super Bowl rings against the Steelers in 2011.
Pittsburgh also made notable moves in the offseason acquiring WR Michael Pittman Jr. from Indianapolis and adding RB Rico Dowdle from the Cowboys to add some competition to their running back room. Rookie QB Drew Allar will be competing for a quarterback slot in a heated battle alongside Mason Rudolph and Will Howard.
A significant amount of players will have to be cut and two names in particular, Punter Cameron Johnston and DL Logan Lee, could be names to watch heading into the preseason.
Cameron Johnston was recently signed to a one-year deal with the Steelers in March 2026 after previously being with the team during 2024. His longest stints came with three years in Philadelphia and Houston, but was released after just one game with Pittsburgh due to injury. In 2025, Johnston made three starts for the Buffalo Bills before a release and signing with the New York Giants to make one start.
Since 2023, Johnston has appeared in only nine games and has been beaten out for his starting spot in the past. Oddly enough, the Steelers recently claimed P Aidan Laros off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, most likely an effort to bolster their depth at the position following recent inconsistencies.
While Johnston is currently listed at the No. 1 punter on the depth chart, there’s no denying that he hasn’t looked the same since his season-ending knee injury in 2024 with this same Steelers squad. Furthermore, he dealt with nagging ankle injuries that kept him out of games with the Buffalo Bills last season, a worrisome sign for a player who’s already 34 years old.
Laros, on the other hand, is a fresh rookie with a unique style having grown up in Cape Town, South Africa playing rugby most of his life. While the roster move isn’t an immediate indication that the Steelers plan to move on from Johnston after just signing him, but it’s certainly a signal that there could be a tight leash for performance at the position. It’ll also be interesting to see if the Steelers are willing to keep two punters on their roster for insurance purposes or if either is at risk of being cut....
