The Pittsburgh Steelers claimed punter Aidan Laros off waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday and waived veteran receiver Brandon Johnson as the corresponding roster move, adding Laros to the team's 90-man training-camp roster.
Laros, an undrafted rookie from Kentucky, handled punts and kickoffs for two seasons after transferring from Tennessee-Martin and averaged 44.9 yards per punt as a senior in 2025. The 6-foot-2, 218-pound specialist joins a roster that already includes veteran punter Cameron Johnston, who the Steelers signed in March to be their punter this season.
Brandon Johnson's release ends a third stint with Pittsburgh. The 28-year-old wideout played 20 NFL games over 2022-23 with the Denver Broncos, catching 25 passes for 326 yards and five touchdowns, and his only NFL action since 2023 came in three regular-season games with the Steelers in 2024, producing one reception for nine yards.
The immediate practical result for the Steelers is a two-punter camp: Laros plus Johnston on the 90-man roster as the team finalizes its personnel ahead of training camp next month. Carrying multiple punters into camp is not atypical for Pittsburgh, but the move is notable because Johnston was explicitly signed in March to handle the spot for 2026.
The roster decision creates a straight-up competition for the job. Laros brings a strong senior-season number — 44.9 yards per punt in 2025 — and experience handling kickoffs, while Johnston is a 34-year-old veteran the team already tabbed to fill the role. That Laros was added despite Johnston’s March signing is the friction point: the addition preserves options but leaves the punter position unsettled.
This is also a personnel shuffle that trims depth at wide receiver. Johnson’s waiver completes the exchange that opened a spot for Laros on the 90-man list and removes a receiver who had been bouncing between the Steelers and other clubs in parts of 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Across the league teams are shuffling rosters and staging position battles of all shapes and sizes as camps approach — from specialists to marquee players such as Aaron Rodgers — and Pittsburgh’s latest move underscores how even specialists can trigger corresponding changes elsewhere on a roster.
What happens next is straightforward and dateable: the Steelers open training camp next month with both Laros and Johnston on the roster and will use practice and preseason reps to decide who wins the job. The single unresolved question now is which punter the team will carry into the regular season; Laros’ claim gives him a live chance, but Johnston’s March signing and veteran status ensure there will be a meaningful snap-count battle before the roster is cut to its regular-season limit.
