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Even though the Pittsburgh Steelers walked out of Atlanta with a win against the Falcons on Sunday, they were hit with some devastating injury news to one of their key special teams' players. Punter Cameron Johnston will be out for the remainder of the season.
“Steelers punter Cameron Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury in Sunday’s win over the #Falcons, sources say. A blow to Pittsburgh special teams in more ways than one, as Johnston was also the holder for Chris Boswell,” Ian Rapoport tweeted.
Johnston was hurt in the second half of the game after a Falcons player was pushed into his leg. A penalty was called for the play, but it was against the Falcons. Chris Boswell had to come in for Johnston, which made it his first career punt. At first, it was thought that Johnston had a lower leg injury, but head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that the injury was serious.
“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,” Tomlin said.
Johnston finished the game with two punts and an average of 51.5 yards, with one inside the 20-yard line.
Steelers will have to look for new punter after Cameron Johnston's injury
The Steelers signed Cameron Johnston to a three-year deal during the offseason after they released Pressley Harvin III, who was the punter for the team the past three years. In 2021, Johnson led the NFL in punting yards when he was on the Houston Texans. He originally signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 as an undrafted free agent.
Johnston didn't see the field much during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, due to the offense being able to get in field goal range. Chris Boswell kicked six field goals, and that's all they needed to win the game. Justin Fields, who started in place of Russell Wilson because of a calf injury, finished the game with 156 passing yards and 57 rushing yards.
The Steelers' defense was what changed the game, as they forced Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins to throw two interceptions. T.J. Watt finished the game with four tackles, one sack, three quarterback hits, and a fumble recovery. All three levels of the Steelers came to play, and Mike Tomlin was proud of the effort.
“I’m just really appreciative of the effort of our guys,” Tomlin said after the game. “Obviously, we weren’t perfect. There were Week 1-like things, particularly early on in the game. We warmed up to it defensively early. We’ve got things to work on, but it’s good to work on your ills with a W, so we’re going to do that.”
As for replacing Johnston, the Steelers might look at adding Harvin back to the team.
