Pittsburgh Steelers sign punter Corliss Waitman after Cameron Johnston injury

The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing punter Corliss Waitman after Cameron Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury on Sunday. Waitman’s agent, Alexa Stabler, shared the news with Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, and this will be Waitman’s third stint with Pittsburgh.

Waitman, 29, first signed with the Steelers in 2020 as an undrafted free agent from South Alabama. He was waived before the 2020 season began but was re-signed to the team’s practice squad. Waitman was waived by the Raiders again in May 2021 before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders in July. He was then waived by the Raiders in August before signing with the New England Patriots in November to join their practice squad. The Steelers signed Waitman to their practice squad on Christmas Day and played in two games during the 2021 season.

In 2022, Waitman played the entire season with the Denver Broncos and averaged 46.6 yards per punt. He then signed a contract with the Patriots in March 2023 but was released by the team in October without seeing any action. In January of this year, Waitman signed a reserve/futures contract with the Chicago Bears but was waived by the team in August.

Corliss Waitman will try to fill void left by ‘stud’ Cameron Johnston

Waitman will replace Johnston who suffered a knee injury in the Steelers’ season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. “It’s a shame for him,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game. “This guy has been spectacular, man, through team development. He’s an absolute stud, not only in his talents, but his approach to business. So, you know, my heart goes out to him.”

Johnston signed with the Steelers in March after spending time with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles. His best season was in 2021 when he recorded a league-leading 4,108 punt yards on 88 punts in Houston. Johnston played college football at Ohio State and was named Big Ten Punter of the Year in 2016.