Johnston was carted off the field Sunday against the Falcons. An ACL tear was confirmed on Monday and he will miss the remainder of the season. It’s a blow for the Steelers special teams, as Johnston held for K Chris Boswell.

Johnston has spent the last three seasons with the Texans and has averaged 42.2 net yards per punt for his career. Touted by NBC’s Kyle Dvorchak as a crusher of punts, Johnston led the league in punts and punting yards in 2021, and was graded as the 23rd best punter in 2023 per PFF.

The Texans will need to add a punter ahead of Week 1’s matchup against the Ravens, as Johnston is now required to miss a minimum of four games. Johnston signed a three-year deal with the Texans in 2021, despite ranking near the bottom of the league in net yards per punt. We’d expect the Texans to add another punter in the very near future.

The Texans continue to pile on special teams players in free agency, for reasons unknown. Johnston is coming off a 2020 season in which he posted a career-low 41.2 net-yard average. Johnston's deal with Houston includes a $1 million signing bonus and $3 million in guaranteed money. The Texans released punter Bryan Anger on Thursday.