Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers will release veteran punter Cameron Johnston, according to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The move is a surprise as Johnston was the frontrunner to beat out Corliss Waitman for the starting punter spot.
Johnston suffered a devastating season-ending knee injury last year, and appeared to be back at full strength.
“Feeling really good,” Johnston said following Wednesday’s OTAs practice. “Back out there practicing, punting fully. So yeah, feeling really good.”
Johnston, 33, signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the Steelers last offseason, and it looked like a great deal as he received a lot of praise from his coaches and teammates throughout the preseason
The Steelers will incur a $958,000 dead cap hit in 2025 and 2026 with the release of Johnston, but save $2.5 million. 985,000 of that will go to Waitman, so it’s a net gain of $1.515 million.
Waitman, who filled in quite nicely for Johnston last season, recording a career-long 71-yard punt and 27 of his 65 punts pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line.
Waitman has been a journeyman in his five-year career, playing with five different clubs. Last season was his third stint with the Steelers, and he took full advantage of the opportunity.
“Just experience,” Waitman said of his career year in 2024. “I feel if you’re in the league and you’re around a professional environment, I think the goal is to always grow. And if you don’t grow then obviously something is wrong and you might be replaced. I try to grow each and every year and become better. I hope I’m not the same punter I was my rookie year. I hope I’m a little better. .. I feel like I’m still growing and I’m still learning, that’s what I love about the game. You can always get better. You can always be more consistent.”
Waitman also played a big role as a holder for Chris Boswell. Waitman gave all the credit to Boz, though.
“Boz is the best kicker in the NFL. It’s really that simple,” Waitman said. “When you get to hold for a guy like that, it’s great because he’s just so good at what he does. He’s very transparent and very good at telling how he wants his holds and how he prepares. And not in my opinion, he is the best kicker in the league. That makes my job easy.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting for this story.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Make Surprising Move, Release Veteran Punter
