Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had several incoming free agents make an immediate impact. Patrick Queen and DeShon Elliott might be the most notable. Punter Cameron Johnston looked like he would be part of that group, but a brutal knee injury in Week 1 knocked him out for the season. That can be scary for any player, let alone a punter, but it looks like Johnston is recovering well.
“Felt great to be back running on the field again today!” Johnston wrote in a caption of a video he posted on Twitter where he’s running on a football field.
In the video, Johnston looks to be moving pretty well. That’s great news, for him and the Steelers. Just turning 33 years old, it was uncertain how Johnston would bounce back from such a major injury. It looks like he’s at least moving well.
Despite suffering such a brutal injury, Johnston still had an impact on the team. Players spoke about how Johnston still remained engaged with the team, helping them in their preparation. It sounds like he’s a top-notch teammate.
If everything goes well, Johnston is slated to be the Steelers’ punter in 2025. He’s under contract for another two seasons. However, a lot of credit should be given to Corliss Waitman, who replaced Johnston in 2024. Waitman joined the Steelers as a street free agent, and he put together a solid season. If Johnston isn’t the same player prior to the knee injury, the Steelers could always turn back to Waitman.
It should be a good problem for the Steelers to have. Whether they go with Johnston or Waitman, the Steelers seem to have a punter in place for the future. That should be music to the ears of fans after Pressley Harvin III didn’t work out. Steelers fans saw first-hand how much poor punting can hurt a team.
The Steelers’ special teams units were one of their biggest strengths in 2024. In almost all aspects, that group made plays. It was a shame that Johnston couldn’t join them, but he has a chance to potentially make them even better in 2025. We’ll see how the Steelers decide to handle his future. Before his injury, he was one of the league’s most reliable punters. Hopefully that doesn’t change.
