The Pittsburgh Steelers are filling out the roster under new head coach Mike McCarthy. Pittsburgh is signing punter Cameron Johnston to a one-year contract, per NFL reporter Tom Pelissero.
Johnston spent the 2024 season with the Steelers. He was injured for nearly the entire season. In 2025, he played for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants. The veteran punter has also spent time with the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles.
“Johnston has punted 458 times for 21,622 yards, a gross 47.2-yard average, with a net average of 42.0 (19,286 net yards). He has downed 185 punts inside the 20-yard line and 67 punts inside the 10-yard line. He hit a punt of at least 60 yards in each of his first six seasons,” Steelers.com reported.
Pittsburgh won the AFC North in 2025, before losing to the Houston Texans in the NFL Playoffs.
Steelers are under new management
Johnston is one of several new players likely to be brought in under new head coach McCarthy. McCarthy replaced Mike Tomlin, who stepped down after the 2025 season. Tomlin had spent nearly 20 years in Pittsburgh and never had a losing season.
Tomlin had not won a NFL Playoff game though in close to a decade. That was enough for many Steelers fans to want him gone. Steelers fans hope McCarthy has better luck; the head coach coached the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl victory over Pittsburgh back in the 2010 season.
The Steelers have a lot of questions this offseason. One is who will be the starting quarterback for 2026. Aaron Rodgers has left the door open for a possible return. The Steelers also have a young play caller in Will Howard, who the team drafted in 2025.
Steelers ownership thinks the future is bright.
“The message for our fans is we’re very excited,” Steelers owner Art Rooney said, per NBC Sports. “We think we have a coach who is well-equipped to lead us into the next winning phase of Steelers football, and that’s what it’s all about. I think they’re going to love Coach Mike.”
McCarthy is from the Pittsburgh area. He was also previously the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
