Johnston Chases Steelers Punting Record

Pittsburgh punter Cameron Johnston is averaging 48.2 yards per punt through eight games in the 2026 season.

Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Football

Cameron Johnston holds a 48.2-yard gross punting average through eight games this season, 0.8 yards above the Steelers' single-season record of 47.0 yards set by Bobby Joe Green in 1961. Johnston's pace puts him in position to challenge a franchise mark that has stood for decades.

Why it matters

A franchise punting record gives the Steelers a measurable benchmark for special teams performance in a season when field position can decide close games. The pace also highlights how rare sustained punting excellence is in Pittsburgh, where the team has never posted a season gross average above the league average.

Johnston's 48.2-yard gross average comes from a sample of eight games with at least 30 punts, compared with Green's 47.0-yard franchise record and 21 league punters who topped 47.0 yards last year. The sample is still short of a full season, and the late-season weather that often lowers punting averages in Pittsburgh has not yet arrived.

The players

Cameron Johnston

Cameron Johnston is the Pittsburgh Steelers punter whose 2026 gross average is tracking toward the franchise record.

Bobby Joe Green

Bobby Joe Green is a former Pittsburgh Steelers punter who set the franchise single-season gross punting average record of 47.0 yards in 1961.

Sammy Baugh

Sammy Baugh is a Hall of Fame quarterback and punter who held the all-time NFL gross punting average record for more than 80 seasons.

The details

Johnston shanked a punt out of his own end zone for 34 yards last Sunday, a play that shows how a single miss can pull an average down. Sammy Baugh held the all-time NFL gross punting average record for more than 80 seasons, a benchmark that puts the franchise mark in a broader league context.

1961: Bobby Joe Green sets the Steelers single-season record at 47.0 yards.
2024: Corliss Waitman averages 46.4 yards per punt; Johnston may have set the record before tearing his knee in the season opener.
Last Sunday: Johnston shanks a 34-yard punt out of his own end zone.
2026 bye week: Johnston's eight-game average is reviewed.

Season Trajectory

Johnston's pace would break a Steelers record that has stood since 1961, a mark that has outlasted several generations of Pittsburgh punters. The comparison matters because the franchise has never posted a season gross average above the league average, making a record-setting year a notable break from the team's history.

Johnston's average affects field position for every Steelers drive, and a sustained pace near 48 yards would shift how coaches approach special teams in tight games. For fantasy managers, the punting average matters less than the Steelers' scoring opportunities, but field position still shapes how many chances an offense gets.

The takeaway

Punting averages over eight games can shift quickly with a single miss, so the Steelers' final numbers will depend on how Johnston handles the colder weeks ahead. Watch whether the pace holds past the bye week.