Despite currently employing no special teams coordinator, the Denver Broncos — smack dab in the middle of a head-coaching search — claimed punter Corliss Waitman off waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Monday, noting the transaction is deferred until after the Super Bowl.
A 2019 undrafted free agent, Waitman bounced around various practice squads, from Pittsburgh to Las Vegas to New England before resettling with the Steelers. The 26-year-old appeared in two regular-season games to close out the 2021 campaign, averaging 52.1 yards across seven punts, with a long boot of 63 yards. He was waived on Jan. 15.
"I thought Corliss did a solid job," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in December, via SteelersDepot.com. "We're appreciative of his efforts."
Waitman (6-2, 210) played collegiately at South Alabama where he averaged 42.7 yards on 158 career punts. He also doubled as the kickoff specialist and holder for extra points and field goal attempts.
Waitman will be added to the 90-man Broncos offseason roster and could provide competition for incumbent punter Sam Martin, whose 42.8 net average ranked third in the NFL this season.
Martin, 31, is signed through 2022, though the team can save $2.25 million — his base salary — by releasing him prior to June 1.
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