SCB Steelers Quick Hitters: The ‘Pass and Punt’ Edition

Good Tuesday to you Steelers fans.

In the last 48 hours the Pittsburgh Steelers have obtained the services of a new passer in Russell Wilson and the services of a new punter in Cameron Johnston. If you haven’t seen Johnston, the former Texans’ punter, he does in fact look an awful lot like comedian/actor Bill Burr. But I digress… I discussed what Wilson brings to the table yesterday but as for Johnston, he is here to replace the very inconsistent Pressley Harvin III. Special teams Coach Danny Smith prizes the ability to directionally kick the ball above all else and I really do understand that. Like most coordinators, he likes hang time too because it lets his guys get down-field and it eliminates the possibility of returns. What is difficult to understand here is that Johnston ranked 28th in the NFL in hang time. He did however rank sixth in percentage of punts inside the 20 and he also had just three of his 66 punts in 2023 end up as touchbacks. There seems to be little question that Johnston fits exactly what Smith and the Steelers want. He’s a guy that keeps the ball consistently inside the 20 which means opposing offenses have to travel further for scores. Now for the most important part… Will he be Chris Boswell’s new holder on place kicks?

Bill Burr??

Wither Pickett

And now… What becomes of Kenneth Shane Pickett? I’m sure numerous outlets have tried to make contact with him to get his feelings on the signing of Russell Wilson but I don’t expect to hear anything from him until OTAs later this Spring. He has to know – as all of us should – that Wilson isn’t coming here to compete for a job. Pickett can demand a trade and the Steelers may well grant him that should he find a partner but for the time being he should view things as an opportunity to learn from a guy who has accomplished a lot in his career.

The Johnson Decision

The Steelers find themselves in a difficult spot regarding Diontae Johnson. Teams already know that Johnson will receive a roster bonus which comes due on Saturday. That comes in at $3 million. The teams know they can wait, have the Steelers pay the bonus and then trade for him or they can hope the Steelers will cut him so they don’t have to pay the $3 mill. Omar Khan has to hope that there is a type of bidding war for Johnson that creates a scenario in which teams will be willing to trade for him before Saturday. I’m not sure that happens however.

Patience

I’m seeing a lot of chatter about what this team can do in 2024 and I ask myself, “why?” On the other hand, fans are screaming that we haven’t addressed some other needs yet like center or safety? and again I say “why?” While I may disagree at times with what Mike Tomlin or Omar Khan do, I also trust them to address things. Be patient everyone. This is a marathon, not a sprint!

Draft Prep

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