Aug 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers punter Cameron Johnston (5) punts against the Houston Texans during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Steelers Have Red Hot Position Battle in Preseason Finale

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 5:00 PM ET

Though the Pittsburgh Steelers' brass will have their eyes locked on several different players and position battles in the team's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night, head coach Mike Tomlin stated that the competition at punter between Cameron Johnston and Corliss Waitman has drawn an increased level of attention.

"We'll trade blow for blow with the punters," Tomlin said. "That's the one that's getting a lot of attention. Both guys have been highly competitive. So, tha t has our attention as we lean in on this last opportunity."

Johnston and Waitman have gone back-and-forth throughout the entire offseason, keeping pace with one another the entire way. Now, they'll have one more chance to prove themselves in a game setting at Bank of America Stadium.

In Pittsburgh's preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on August 9, Johnston's two punts went for 94 yards while Waitman's lone attempt was 57 yards.

Johnston's three punts went for 127 yards last Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 16, which was good for an average of 42.3 yards. Waitman, on the other hand, totaled 174 yards on three attempts, resulting in an average of 58.0 yards.

Johnston's career began as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 out of Ohio State. His debut came in 2018, and he punted a total of 203 times with the team for 9,547 yards through 2020 before joining the Houston Texans ahead of the 2021 campaign, for whom he led the league with 4,108 yards that year. The 33-year-old spent two more seasons with the Texans before landing with the Steelers.

Waitman, on the other hand, signed with Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and spent the entirety of his rookie season on the practice squad before being waived in May 2021.

After brief stints with the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots, neither of whom he appeared in a game for, Waitman returned to the Steelers in December 2021 and played in two regular season contests to finish the 2021 campaign, logging seven punts for 365 yards over that span.

Waitman was subsequently waived and claimed by the Denver Broncos. During the 2022 season with them, he led the league with 96 punts that went for a total of 4,470 yards.

Pittsburgh brought Waitman back once again following Johnston's injury last year, and he racked up 3,015 yards on 65 attempts over 16 games.

Both players will receive opportunities on Thursday night, and their respective fates will essentially come down to how they perform under the lights in Charlotte.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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