Steelers Punter Cam Johnston Appears to Have Serious Injury: ‘My Heart Goes Out to Him’

ATLANTA — Pittsburgh Steelers punter Cam Johnston suffered a right leg injury late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener, and it appears to be significant.

“Cam Johnston appears to have a serious injury,” Tomlin said after the game. “I’ll have an update the next time we come together. It’s a shame for him. This guy has been spectacular through team development. He’s an absolute stud not only in his talents but his approach to business. My heart goes out to him.”

Falcons wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge hit Johnston low and he was in a great deal of pain, calling for the trainers and holdng his right leg. Johnston’s right leg extended backwards, and it did not look good. He left on a cart and did not return.

Miles Killebrew was called for holding on the play, so the Steelers had to punt again. Kicker Chris Boswell, who was 6 of 6 on the day on field goal attempts, replaced Johnston at punter and punted a 43-yard line drive that resulted in no gain on Avery Williams’ return. Scotty Miller made a great special teams tackle on the play.

Two plays after Boswell’s punt, Kirk Cousins got picked off by cornerback Donte Jackson, which was returned for 49 yards. The Steelers managed to run some clock and Boswell nailed a field goal to extend the Steelers’ lead to 18-10.

INSTEAD OF ROUGHING THE PUNTER THEY CALLED THIS A HOLD ON THE STEELERS. AND NOW OUR BEST PUNTER IN DECADES IS OUT. F OFF. pic.twitter.com/i5X2Uytsx7

— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) September 8, 2024

The 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. It appeared they found their answer in Johnston, but he could be out for a significant period, possibly the entire season. Either way, they’ll have to search for a new punter this week.

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.

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?”

Johnston had a banner performance in the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Johnston had two 60+ yard punts, a long of 65. Overall, Johnston averaged 56.8 yards per punt.

Cornerback Darius Rush was evaluated for a concussion, per Tomlin. He also noted that there was some bump and bruises with cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Joey Porter Jr., both leaving the game but returning. Porter left the game to get checked for concussion symptoms in the blue tent on the Pittsburgh sideline by the independent NFL neurologist.

Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Atlanta.