While the Steelers are excited about having P Cameron Johnston back, they are not forgetting about Corliss Waitman’s efforts. After Johnson’s season-ending injury in Week 1 last year, they brought in Waitman, who had a very good season. A very good season especially if you measure it against the Steelers’ past.
The Steelers signed Cameron Johnston to solve their ongoing punting problem. One of the best punters in the NFL, he figured to provide instant success. Although Waitman’s numbers skewed toward league averages, he set Steelers records filling in.
If he is indeed merely filling in, as special teams coordinator Danny Smith seemed to hint at something more. Asked about Johnston and respect for him while minding Waitman, Smith lavished praise on the young man.
“Corliss did a great job. I mean, he really did. He did a great job. I couldn’t have asked for more out of him, and that’s why I keep using the term at the end of this without addressing that particular issue to your question, is, it’s gonna be interesting”, he said, via the Steelers’ media department, the implication being how they sort out the punting position between Johnston and Waitman.
“It’s gonna be interesting”, he repeated. And in his previous answer about Cameron Johnston, he said it again, unprompted. “He’s dynamic, can do a lot of things with the ball”, Smith said of the veteran. “It’s gonna be interesting”.
Why is it going to be “interesting”, though, if Johnston is fully healthy and ready to go? They signed him to a three-year, $9 million contract last year, which in punter money is massive. And he certainly has the track record. Johnston’s career net punting average is 42.2 yards. For context, Corliss Waitman netted 41.5 yards per punt, so Johnston averages better than Waitman’s best.
Now, Danny Smith didn’t come right out and say that the Steelers will have a punting competition. But they also have no reason, publicly or privately, to discourage it. Why would they tell Waitman that it’s Johnston’s job and that he has no chance? They signed him to a two-year deal for a reason, surely.
Although Cameron Johnston appears to be healthy after returning from his knee injury, we won’t know if that has had any impact on his performance until some time down the road. And we can’t discount the potential for Waitman to continue to improve, even if he is nearly 30. He has only played in 35 NFL games and has had inconsistent employment. Perhaps with more structure, he can become one of the league’s best.
It doesn’t hurt the Steelers to find out, though. If they stage a competition between Johnston and Waitman, they could fetch a draft pick by trading the “loser”. They have traded a punter in the past: in 2015, they sent Brad Wing to the Giants after Jordan Berry proved capable of the job.
It’s not clear if Berry outperformed Wing or if Wing was the only one another team was willing to trade for. But the point is, they liked both, but could only keep one, so they got a little extra for it. If they can do that with Cameron Johnston and Corliss Waitman, why not? It doesn’t hurt to try.
