Johnston ready to step in as Steelers’ new punter

Scott Township native Christian Kuntz is just getting to know the man who is the new colleague he’ll be working closest with on a daily basis over the ensuing months and maybe years.

And while Kuntz so far has enjoyed his interactions with Australian Cameron Johnston, there’s one way in particular the Pittsburgh Steelers’ new punter can get on the good side of the player he depends on most to set him up for success.

“I know (former Steelers Aussie punter Brad Wing) brought this desert, some Australian breakfast cookie,” Kuntz, the Steelers’ long snapper, said after an organized team activities session this past week. “And wow — they were unbelievable. I am gonna ask Cam to bring me back one when he goes home next time.”

Whether or not Johnston produces any culinary delights from Down Under, he figures to be able to endear himself to Kuntz, other Steelers teammates and fans simply by providing consistent, strong punts.

Consistently largely lacked from Johnston’s predecessor as Steelers punter, Pressley Harvin III. Despite leg strength and pedigree as a Ray Guy Award winner as college football’s best punter and the only player at his position drafted in 2021, Harvin finally wore out his welcome with the Steelers after a 2023 season in which he was one of the NFL’s worst statistical punters.

Harvin last season ranked 32nd in the NFL in both gross (43.8) and net yardage (39.1) per boot. It was enough that coach Mike Tomlin — an ardent supporter of Harvin through two up-and-down seasons to begin his career — palpably lost patience with him after an abundance of shanked punts last season.

The Steelers cut Harvin soon after the season ended, clearly with a target in free agency in mind in the 32-year-old Johnston. A seven-year NFL veteran, Johnston last season ranked sixth in the NFL in net punting average (43.7 yards) in large part because his rates for punts landing inside the 20 (45.5%) and that went for touchbacks (4.5%) each ranked among the top 10.

“He’s a pro,” said Kuntz, whose tenure as Steelers long snapper began when Harvin joined the team. “Cam’s been around for a while and he’s done it in multiple different stadiums and teams. He hits great heights (with hang time), and he’s an Aussie guy so those end-over-ends are good. And he’s a good dude too, so it’s good to have that.”

Part of the burgeoning community of Aussie punters in the NFL, Johnston is familiar with Wing and is close friends with Jordan Berry. The latter was the Steelers’ punter from 2015-20, with Wing their primary punter in 2015 and an injury fill-in for Harvin for two games last season.

Johnston and Berry worked together at Prokick Australia, a punting academy of sorts that produces punters for American football college programs and, in turn, the NFL.

“I’ve known Berry really, really well for a while now, so I messaged him before signing here and asked him about the Steelers,” Johnston said, “and he said everything was great. 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.”

Johnston won a national championship and was named all-Big Ten while at Ohio State, and he’s settled in the Columbus, Ohio, area where his wife is from. In the NFL, he’s twice been on teams that have advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs (the 2018 season with Philadelphia and last year with Houston).

He agreed to terms with the Steelers during the first day of the “legal tampering period” for free agency in March “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.”