With Wilson's addition secure, Steelers get much-needed help at punter as free agent frenzy opens

Uneventful? Perhaps, depending the perspective.

But the first day of NFL free agency’s “legalized tampering” was nothing, if not unique, for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Consider — dating to just before midnight Sunday evening — over the first 24 hours of the player-acquisition carousel, the Steelers were known to have agreed to terms with two players.

One was their prospective starting quarterback. The other, a punter.

And the reported contract for the latter was more than seven times more valuable than the former.

As Monday evening wound down, contracts in aggregate value of close to $2 billion were given out by NFL teams in free agency. The Steelers? They committed a tiny fraction of that total: $1.21 million for one year for nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson, and $9 million over three years for punter Cameron Johnston (the latter according to a report from media outlet The 33rd Team).

At the time it was agreed to Monday afternoon — no contracts can be signed until the NFL’s new league year begins 4 p.m. Wednesday — Johnston’s deal would have made him tied for the fourth-highest paid punter in the league, per spotrac.com.

That’s the price the Steelers were willing to pay to replace Pressley Harvin III, their seventh-round pick in 2021 whose strong leg has overshadowed by inconsistency over his career thus far.

In virtually every statistical category for punters in 2023, Johnston ranked above Harvin, who was released last month.

Throughout a third NFL season for Harvin that too often was dotted with shanked punts and missed directional opportunities, coach Mike Tomlin became increasingly agitated. During his season-ending news conference, Tomlin said the 25-year-old Harvin “wasn’t consistent enough, particularly down the stretch.”

Johnston last season tied for sixth in the NFL in net punting average (43.7 yards) and was 14th among 33 qualifiers in gross average (47.7). His 45.5% rate of punts inside the opponents’ 20 yard line was sixth-best in the NFL, his 4.5% rate of touchbacks ranked ninth.

Only one of Johnston’s 445 career punts has been blocked.

Johnson, 32-year-old native of Australia, punted the past three seasons for the Houston Texans after spending his first three pro seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Few would argue Johnston provides the Steelers with an upgrade at punter. But it’s what they do with the rest of the roughly $24 million in salary-cap space they entered free agency with that most intrigues Steelers fans.

Their team largely sat out during Day 1 of what was decidedly a seller’s market buoyed by an unexpectedly large $30 million jump in the cap that was announced two weeks ago.

The Steelers emerged from the first day when they could speak with free agents and their representatives yet without a starter at center, perilously thin at cornerback and in need of reinforcements at wide receiver and inside linebacker.

Four centers agreed to reported deals Monday, all for three or four years of term and each falling in a range of $7-12.5 million per season. The jewel of the free-agent class at the position, Lloyd Cushenberry, agreed to join the Tennessee Titans for a reported $50 million over four years.

That leaves the likes of Connor Williams (whom the Miami Dolphins let walk and replaced with Aaron Brewer at three years, $21 million), Coleman Shelton (formerly of the Los Angeles Rams) and Evan Brown (ex of the Seattle Seahawks).

The prices at cornerback and wide receiver are more expensive. Cornerbacks who went off the board Monday included Chidobe Awuzie (reported $36 million over three years from the Tennessee Titans) and Sean Murphy-Bunting (three years, $25.5 million with the Arizona Cardinals).

Michael Pittman Jr. was considered the crown jewel of the UFA wide receivers, but he re-signed with the Indianapolis Colts for $70 million over three years. Gabe Davis left the Buffalo Bills for a three-year, $39 million pact with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Plenty of players remain at both receiver and corner for the Steelers, who last season tied a franchise high by signing 11 players in unrestricted free agency.

It would be almost impossible for any to match the name recognition of Wilson, who, on Monday, did the obligatory updating of his social media pages to reflect that he played for the Steelers, complete with an altered image of him wearing a Steelers No. 3 jersey.

Even Wilson’s famous wife Ciara, a platinum-selling recording artist, posted a snippet of Styx’s “Renegade” — the unofficial Steelers fan anthem — to her Instagram page.

Time will tell how the Steelers navigate what’s left of free agency to get her husband help on the offense.