The Pittsburgh Steelers have been no stranger to position battles in recent years — but this one is different.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced the club would split reps evenly between punters Corliss Waitman and Cameron Johnston during Saturday’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“We intend on using both punters, and we’ll trade punt for punt,” Tomlin said this week, as transcribed by Steelers Depot. “We’re probably going to be in that posture until we get clarity, or throughout the preseason. It’s highly competitive. They’re both varsity, but that’s the kind of competition you want. You want guys to win the job because of what they do, not because of what others don’t do.”
No, it’s not as exciting as Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields, or Calvin Austin III vs. Roman Wilson, but it’s still important!
Pittsburgh has been anything but content with the position for several years now, as the Pressley Harvin III experiment proved to be disastrous enough for the club to sign Johnston to a three-year deal prior to the start of last season — and eventually Waitman when the veteran suffered a season-ending injury.
Story continues below advertisement
It’s likely Johnston’s job to lose, but don’t take your eyes off this battle just yet.
More Steelers: Aaron Rodgers Sends Strong Message To Struggling Steelers Wide Receiver
Featured image via Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images