The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing veteran punter Cameron Johnston to a contract, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. He now fills the team’s punter void that they had after releasing Pressley Harvin III following a disappointing three seasons with the team.
In almost all categories, Johnston was either at league average or above league average. He was 28th in average hangtime, which is the worst metric he is ranked in, but his punts generally ended up just fine. In net yards per punt, he was sixth in the NFL, in raw yards per punt he was 17th in the NFL at 47.7 yards per punt, he was third in the NFL in fair catches forced, and sixth in the punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
Johnston spent the first few years of his career in Philadelphia before heading to Houston. His hangtime averages are a concern, but he has consistently been great at directional punting. Australian-born Johnston will look to prove he can stick it out in Pittsburgh.
It is certainly an upgrade on paper from what the Steelers got last season from Harvin. Harvin had the 2nd worst yards per punt in 2023 at just 43.8 yards. It seems his struggles against the Bills were the last straw, as Harvin put the team on multiple short fields throughout the game. A mere 38.5 punt average led Harvin to one of his most lackluster career showings. For a team that plays the field position game so strongly, having a subpar punter is a big deal, especially when they invested a draft pick in Harvin.
Now, Johnston will enter the fray and hope to give the Steelers some consistency at the position. It is Pittsburgh’s first reported signing of the legal tampering period and the second of the last 24 hours joining Russell Wilson as the moves Omar Khan and the staff have made.
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