After some drastic changes over the course of the NFL offseason, especially at the quarterback position, with an emphasis on upgrading the offense, the Pittsburgh Steelers got off to a strong start to the 2024 NFL regular season with a win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Even though the Steelers weren’t able to get veteran quarterback Russell Wilson on the field for the season opener against the Falcons, the team did trot out the recently acquired Justin Fields as the team’s starter under center on Sunday.
Ultimately, Fields did enough for the Steelers to win over the Falcons, who they beat on the road at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 18-10.
Although the offense wasn’t vastly improved with the team’s change at the quarterback position, Pittsburgh still got off to a good start but suffered an unfortunate loss to their special teams, with punter Cameron Johnston suffering a season-ending knee injury.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Steelers plan to sign Corliss Waitman now that Johnston is done for the year.
The #Steelers plan to sign punter Corliss Waitman, per his agent Alexa Stabler, after Cameron Johnston suffered a season-ending knee injury Sunday.
It’s the third stint with Pittsburgh for Waitman, who originally signed there as an undrafted free agent in 2020. pic.twitter.com/57cMZCEcri
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 9, 2024
Obviously, this isn’t a devastating blow like losing a starting quarterback or superstar linebacker TJ Watt for the season with an injury, but it still impacts the team moving forward.
The real concern right now is the status of veteran newcomer Russell Wilson, who has been dealing with a calf issue that kept him sidelined on Sunday, paving the way for Fields to make his debut for the Steelers.
Although Fields held his own, Wilson was expected to be the starter.
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