Mike Tomlin Gives Punter Cameron Johnston a Ringing Endorsement
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in search of a top-flight punter for the last several years. They thought Pressley Harvin III was the answer, but the former Ray Guy Award winner could never put it together.
The Steelers signed Cameron Johnston to a three-year contract this offseason after he spent three seasons in Philadelphia and then three seasons in Houston. So far, Johnston has been an instant success. The Aussie has been booming the ball at camp.
While signing autographs next to Johnston at the Friday Night Lights practice, Mike Tomlin told fans, “Hey, you guys see our new stud punter we got over here. How about five right there?”
Mike Tomlin while signing autographs next to P Cam Johnston, “hey you guys see our new stud punter?” pic.twitter.com/j5KpGMKqgf
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 2, 2024
Tomlin has been craving for a solid punter. Harvin was just not consistent during his tenure with Pittsburgh. The writing was on the wall that his time was up after a poor performance in the Steelers’ 31-17 wild-card round loss to the Buffalo Bills. Against Buffalo, Harvin III punted four times and averaged just 38.5 yards per punt. The Steelers had a significant disadvantage in field position during the game because of Harvin’s punts.
“You know, I’ll acknowledge that Pressley was not consistent enough, particularly down the stretch,” Tomlin said during his season-ending press conference.
Cameron Johnston will be entering his seventh season as a starting punter as he spent three years in Philadelphia and then three years in Houston. The thing the Steelers like about Johnston is his consistency. Over his six seasons, his average yards per punt have been nearly identical each season, only deviating by less than two yards.
The one connection that Johnston had within the Steelers organization prior to signing in Pittsburgh was former Steelers punter Jordan Berry, who’s also from Australia.
“I’ve known [Jordan] Berry really, really well for a while now, so I messaged him before signing here and asked him about the Steelers and he said everything was great,” Johnston said. “He said everything was really, really good here, and I agree. I’ve loved it since the first day I got here. Great group of guys, and I am super excited.”
While the familiarity of the team was not there, Johnston knows the history of the franchise and did not think twice about signing with a historic organization like the Steelers.
“When this opportunity arose, we jumped on it right away,” Johnston said. “I am just looking forward to getting out there to try to help win some games.”
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