The Pittsburgh Steelers, under the oversight of General Manager Omar Khan, have been slowly chipping away at weak areas and rebuilding them. While fans may hate the word “rebuild,” the reality is that every team does some of it during the offseason. You lose players for various reasons, and other players fail to meet your expectations, teams constantly evolve.
Those roster holes must be filled, and Khan, Head Coach Mike Tomlin, and the rest of the staff have been hard at work. One of the first things they did when the 2023 season ended was release punter Pressley Harvin III. Harvin was with the Steelers for three seasons and was wildly inconsistent during that time.
To replace Harvin, the team signed 32-year-old Cameron Johnston. Johnston has been in the NFL for six years, starting as an undrafted rookie with the Philadelphia Eagles and then signing as a free agent with the Houston Texans.
Originally from Australia, where he played Australian rules football, Johnston came to the United States to attend and play for Ohio State.
Recently, Johnston spoke about coming to Pittsburgh on an Australian podcast called SEN Breakfast. The hosts asked him what about the Steelers made him sign.
“I joined an incredible club and just wanted to get back closer to home for my wife,” said Johnston. “She’s from Columbus, Ohio, which is a couple of hours drive from Pittsburgh. So it worked out really, really well.”
Johnston has something the Steelers have desperately needed the past few seasons: consistency. His ability to pin an opponent back deep in their own territory is an incredible weapon. Last year, he had an impressive 30 punts land inside the 20-yard line.
During his 2023 season in Houston, Johnston got the media’s attention. He averaged 47.6 yards per punt and boasted a net average of 44 yards. He even nailed a 74-yard punt at one point.
Statistically, Johnston is an improvement over Harvin, who averaged only 43.8 yards per punt in 2023. Harvin’s longest punt last season was 63 yards, with a net average of 39.2. Plus, Johnston has more experience dealing with the stress and pressure of having to perform in the NFL.
The host pointed out that Tomlin is one of Australia’s favorite NFL coaches, and the hosts wondered if he’d been able to interact much with him.
“Yeah, I got to sit down with him when I signed. That was incredible. It was good to have a conversation with him. He’s an incredible coach and I can’t wait to play for him,” said Johnston.
Johnston is spending the last bit of his offseason in Columbus. Johnston said he is working hard to prepare for the new season by lifting and practicing his kicks.
Steelers Busy Solidifying Special Teams
It wasn’t just the signing of Johnston that gave fans hope about this facet of the game for the upcoming season. Special teams ace Miles Killebrew and long snapper Christian Kuntz were also re-signed.
When the news broke that the NFL was changing the kickoff rule to something more like what they do in the XFL, Khan also scooped up Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson is a hybrid player who plays a little wide receiver, a little running back, and a little return man. This reunites Patterson with his former head coach and new Steelers offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith.
The Steelers will keep this exciting new aspect of the game and all of its potential from getting away from them. With the signing of Patterson, they show just how seriously they are taking it, as teams will now have a better chance at running the ball back.
It is more than just special teams that are getting tons of attention; the team has completely overhauled its quarterback room and hopefully found a solution to its inside linebacker problem by signing Patrick Queen.
