The Steelers have signed punter Cameron Johnston to a free agent contract. His arrival should improve consistency to the team’s punting game.
Johnston, a six-year NFL veteran, played the first three seasons in Philadelphia before signing as a free agent with the Houston Texans.
Johnston, 32, entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie after playing collegiately at Ohio State. Johnston was a midfielder in Australian rules football before to Ohio State.
Being able to play in the AFC North, travelling to Ohio State and seeing all of the games on TV, is a huge deal,” Johnston said. “My wife is from Columbus, Ohio, so to be able to get back up north, too, we love to be here.”
The Australian native possesses a big leg, as proven by his career net average of 47.3 yards. Throughout his career, however, he has also been adept at kicking in the right direction. In 2023, he averaged 4.25 seconds of hang time on his punts, ranking 28th in the NFL, but his net average of 44.0 yards last season was the fourth-highest in the league.
Johnston also put 30 of his 66 punts inside the opposition 20 last year, tying for fifth in the NFL. Former Steelers punter Pressley Harvin, who was dismissed at the end of the 2023 season, also had 30 punts inside the opposition 20 on 78 attempts.
In fact, Johnston was the only punter in the league to have at least 30 kicks downed inside the opposition 20 while making fewer than 73 attempts.
Johnston will replace the aforementioned Harvin as the Steelers’ punter and kick holder, and he should be a significant upgrade.
Last season, in addition to landing 30 kicks inside the opposing 20-yard line, Johnston forced 25 fair catches. Harvin made 26 forced fair catches in 78 attempts.
And, despite kicking indoors in Houston for the previous three seasons, Johnston began his career at Ohio State and later Philadelphia.
While Johnston has seen a dropoff in his punting average as the season advances, it’s not quite as dramatic as that of Harvin.
During September, Johnston averaged 49.3 yards per punt. His January punting average was 45.7 yards.
His expertise in Australian rules football makes him an ideal punter in the NFL.
“The way you pass the ball in the sport is by punting it,” he remarked. “I believe the transition is straightforward, particularly in college football with rollout punts. It’s just a skill set that you develop at an early age and can apply to playing over here.”
Harvin averaged 46.1 yards per punt for the Steelers in September, but his average dropped during the season to 41.6 yards per punt in January.
He’s also served as a holder for two of the league’s most dependable placekickers: Jake Elliott of the Eagles and Kai Fairbairn of the Texans. Now he’ll be able to practice with another excellent placekicker, Steelers’ Chris Boswell.
