Steelers Not Giving Up on Rookie Punter Despite Uneven Position Battle

The Steelers kept Corliss Waitman around for a reason and they're going to assure he has every opportunity to prove himself this summer.

PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers slimmed their roster to 80 to accommodate the NFL's COVID-19 guidelines, but they made sure to leave one unlikely special teams competition intact. 

As they removed skill players and linemen, Pittsburgh kept rookie punter Corliss Waitman around for camp. 

Now, Waitman and Jordan Berry are competing for the team's punting job. Berry, entering his sixth season with the team, will square off with a player who has no NFL experience, and no preseason games to gain any. 

Head coach Mike Tomlin and special teams coordinator Danny Smith both agreed it'll take a lot of "live" looks for Waitman to prove himself this summer. Still, neither are counting the rookie out of the competition. 

"It's a long process too. We have time," Smith said on Wednesday. "We put them in different situations. I'm going to tell you the truth, and I think it's going to happen a lot throughout our league, when we all open up and there are 16 games being played the first week of the NFL season there are going to be guys out there on every team that we are all going to see what they can do under pressure for the first time in this environment that we're in. We're all going to see it together. It's not going to be just a Pittsburgh Steeler."

Smith's 'it's not just us' attitude is something that has resonated through Heinz Field. The Steelers coaching staff has preached that difficult times are happening to everyone, leaving the league on an even playing field. 

Tomlin has assured media he feels the same. The head coach wants to see the entire position battle take place, though, before he's willing to say a rookie can't overcome an unusual situation. 

"There's a lot of those battles in terms of the division of labor that's worrisome in this environment," Tomlin said. "We will push through it. We will create a competitive environment. The guys have a lot to do with that. The way they embrace the competitive practice atmosphere that we have aids in sorting some of those things out. Make no mistake, there's many layers to that discussion and others. It's a challenge that all of us globally are facing in this no preseason game environment."

Tomlin explained how Waitman and Berry would be evaluated through not only their punting but also their place holding.  

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.