The brunt of the Steelers' offseason has wrapped up, and while the majority of big moves are over, this team still has some obvious holes. With the Aaron Rodgers situation now settled, there is one glaring need still left to fill.
The punter room looks awfully thin right now.
While Cameron Johnston was, at one time, a solid punter, the Steelers shouldn’t be content with him as their lone option this year.
They looked at a handful of options during rookie mini camp, but nothing materialized. Instead, the team should turn to a familiar name in Jamie Gillan.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to turn to the last notable punter available in Jamie Gillan
While Gillan has never been viewed as the top punter in the league, he has had a respectable stint in the league as a starter for the Browns and Giants. Known for a strong leg that can be unpredictable at times, he can certainly boom punts.
More importantly, he has experience in cold weather exclusively. Neither Cleveland nor New York are fair weather cities, so Gillan knows how to punt when the weather gets bad.
He is coming off his worst season as a pro, so there are concerns of regression. He was cut by the Giants this offseason, but that seemed more due to their desire to sign Jordan Stout.
At worst, he is a very capable option to battle Johnston. At best, he recaptures his earlier form and delivers a strong season for the Steelers.
This isn’t to say Johnston can’t win the job. At one point in time, he was viewed as one of the best punters in the league. It seemed like a home run when the Steelers signed him just a few years ago.
However, injuries mounted, and he lost his job outright last year in Pittsburgh. There are serious questions about whether he can get his punting back to where it needs to be.
Competition is needed. No rookie or veteran shone in camp, so the team should turn to a veteran like Gillan to provide competition. Someone needs to be brought in to provide this team with a legitimate battle during the summer.
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