Corliss

Waitman

The signing becomes necessary after the Steelers lost punter Cameron Johnston to a season-ending knee injury. The 29-year-old has had a couple previous stints with the Steelers, and was last active in the NFL with the Patriots before being cut in 2023.

Waitman joined the Patriots as a free agent this offseason but appears to have lost the camp battle to rookie sixth-rounder Bryce Baringer. Waitman has appeared in 19 games over the last two seasons, splitting time with both the Broncos and Steelers.

The Broncos withdrew a tender offer to Waitman earlier in the week after signing Riley Dixon. New England snatched up the former Steelers and Broncos punter and he’s currently the only punter on their roster. Waitman punted a league-high 96 times in 2022 on account of Russ Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett’s transgressions.

Waitman was an exclusive rights free agent. He appeared in two games with the Steelers in 2021 before taking over pointing duties for Denver last year. The Broncos got their money’s worth out of Waitman last year as he punted the ball more times than anyone else. He ranked 14th in net yards per punt.

Douglas appeared in 14 games for the Panthers last year, 11 of which were starts. He defended nine passes logged a career-high 62 tackles. After signing with Las Vegas, Douglas was expected to open the year as their primary nickel cornerback. The Raiders have spent numerous draft picks on cornerbacks in recent years, so their decision to move on from Douglas reflects well on their younger options at the position. They also released offensive guard Parker Ehinger and waived punter Corliss Waitman.

The NCAA denied a request filed by Waitman (6'2/210) for a sixth season of eligibility, despite the fact that he appeared in just three games as a redshirt freshman in 2015 due to a knee injury. The question now is whether or not the grad transfer will be allowed to compete at Mississippi State, where he can add value as both a punter and kickoff specialist (if needed).

Waitman (6'2/205) has been the starting punter the last two-plus years for the Jaguars, and last year was named to the All-Sun Belt team. He averages 42.7 yards per punt on 158 attempts in his collegiate career. He should get a chance to earn the punting duties for the SEC club in 2019.