Behind the Steel Curtain
The Steelers’ preseason punter battle finally has a winner with just under 24 hours to go until the NFL roster cutdown deadline.
Per a report from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Steelers have released veteran punter Cameron Johnston.
Johnston signed with the Steelers on a three-year, $9 million contract in 2024. However, he suffered a season-ending injury in his first regular season game with the team. He was replaced by punter Corliss Waitman, who started the rest of the year for Pittsburgh.
Both Waitman and Johnston returned in 2025, battling over the summer for Pittsburgh’s starting punter job. Waitman averaged 53.2 yards per punt in the preseason while Johnston averaged 42.3.
With Johnston’s release, Waitman is the clear winner.
Waitman averaged 46.4 yards per punt in the 2024 regular season, landing 41.5% of his kicks inside the opponent’s 20 yard line. He started for Pittsburgh in 2021 as well as 2024.
By releasing Johnston, the Steelers add a dead cap hit of $1.9 million in 2025 and $958,000 in 2026. However, the team saves $1.5 million and $2.5 million in each respective season.
Waitman’s cap hit is $1.1 million in 2025. The 30-year-old is in the last year of his contract with the Steelers.
