One of many Pittsburgh Steelers’ greatest free-agent signings was misplaced for the season within the opener. Punter Cameron Johnston went down and out for the season in a freak late-game second, getting run into and his knee buckling beneath the burden of an Atlanta Falcons participant. Unlucky as that harm was, Johnston has hardly been missed because of Corliss Waitman stepping in and stepping up together with his left leg.
Waitman has been wonderful by way of seven video games because the Steelers’ alternative punter. Productive and constant, he’s averaging 46.8 yards per punt and 41.8 yards per internet. Relative to the remainder of the league, neither quantity is excellent. However they’re strong and nearly as good as they’ve seen in Pittsburgh.
If Waitman’s gross common holds the remainder of the season, it’ll be the third-best determine in group historical past. It’ll be the very best of the post-merger period, solely trailing the pre-Noll days of 1961’s Bobby Joe Inexperienced (47.0) and 1953’s Pat Brady (46.9). So Waitman is correct there with him. Granted, his common may dip because the climate turns chilly and fatigue units in. However to date, so good.
Digging deeper into the numbers speaks even higher of Waitman. Per PFF, he ranks at or close to the highest within the league in a number of classes, relative ones not as influenced by discipline place that may skew yardage.
Corliss Waitman’s Rankings
Common Hangtime – 4.56 seconds (fifth)
Punts Returned – 37.8-percent (ninth)
Yards Per Return – 4.1 (1st)
His hangtime permits the protection group to get downfield and make performs. In equity, these latter two stats needs to be credited to the whole unit, not simply Waitman, particularly CB James Pierre and SS Terrell Edmunds. Two gamers not even on the Week 1 roster who’ve boosted the punt group with their mid-season acquisitions. However Waitman’s hangtime, consistency, and placement all play key components.
The transition has been seamless for a group that needed to scramble to discover a season-long alternative after dropping Johnston one sport into the season. Partially as a result of Waitman wasn’t model new to the Steelers, having stints and punting for them earlier than. Nonetheless, he’s are available in and once more confirmed he can do the job at not only a serviceable however excessive stage. As a holder, he’s been flawless and it hasn’t harmed Okay Chris Boswell a bit, now on monitor to steer the NFL in discipline targets and set a single-season report.
The elements of a profitable NFL season aren’t simply concerning the stars. It’s typically discovered across the margins—the rookie contributing greater than anticipated. The follow squader promoted and holds his personal. The free agent signing who didn’t make a splash on the time however is punching above his weight. And guys like Corliss Waitman, the off-the-street alternative who made positive the Steelers’ particular groups didn’t miss a beat. By means of the primary half of the yr, they’re the very best unit in soccer.
