Pittsburgh Steelers punter Corliss Waitman. Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Steelers nearly completed trade with Saints before making roster move

Originally posted on Steeler Nation | By Brogan Noey | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 10:40 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers had to begin to determine the final roster for the 2025 season after the team played its final preseason game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. This is always a tough time of year for all 32 organizations across the NFL, as difficult roster decisions need to be made. One of those that the Steelers had to make came at punter, as the franchise had to decide between Cameron Johnston and Corliss Waitman for the starting job.

On Monday, Pittsburgh made the move to release Johnston, which meant that Waitman had won the starting punting job in Pittsburgh. This was a bit of a surprise as it felt like most fans believed Johnston would win the job, but the two had a stark difference in what they were being paid. Waitman made significantly less, and the production from the two players was not all that different. Before releasing Johnston, Pittsburgh seemed to shop their punters around the league as the franchise looked to trade one of them. According to Adam Schefter, a deal almost got done with the New Orleans Saints.

Corliss Waitman has won the Steelers punter job, and he had interest elsewhere. The Saints inquired about trading for him before the Steelers made the final decision to stick with him.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 26, 2025

Fans wanted to see the organization find a way to move its extra specialists for additional draft capital. The Steelers probably felt comfortable starting either Johnston or Waitman at punter, so whichever one could bring in more value in a trade was going to be dealt. A trade didn't materialize, and Johnston was released.

Had Pittsburgh and New Orleans come to an agreement on a deal, it is hard to imagine the Steelers would have been able to bring in anything higher than a sixth or seventh round pick for the punter. However, all draft capital is good.

Both Waitman and Johnston are good enough to be starters in the NFL, but no team carries two punters. The Steelers were able to save money by releasing Johnston, and Waitman is due roughly $2 million less than the former Steeler. Play certainly factored into the decision to release Johnston, but it seems like it was mainly a business decision as Pittsburgh was able to create some more flexibility against the cap.

Waitman filled in for Johnston after the punter suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 1, and played well throughout the rest of the year.

This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.

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