/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68993237/1292491629.0.jpg)
There weren’t a whole lot of bright spots on the Eagles’ roster last season, but one pretty reliable contributor was punter Cameron Johnston. Heading into the offseason, Johnston was a restricted free agent, but the team didn’t tender him, and now he’s headed to the Houston Texans on a three-year, $8 million deal.
Johnston was with the Eagles for three seasons and never missed a game, which is impressive because he was used quite a bit in the years since the team’s Super Bowl win. He averaged over 46 yards per punt in each of his three years, and in 2020, had a career-high 3,318 yards on 71 punts.
The punter set a single-season franchise record in 2018 with 48.1 gross yards per punt and 42.7 net yards per punt. In 2019, he punted for 3,292 yards, finishing his first two seasons with the highest gross (47.2) and net (42.5) punting averages in Eagles history.
In addition to being one of the best punters in the league last season, Johnston also had a lot of standout performances during his time in Philly, including an 81-yard bomb during the 2018 preseason, and absolutely leveling returners on more than one occasion.
Cameron Johnston, MVP.
— Bleeding Green Nation (@BleedingGreen) September 22, 2019
Cc: @Lovelybuckeye pic.twitter.com/P3EkvCT74M
The Eagles will move forward with a new punter. Arryn Siposs is their only one currently under contract.
(Compensatory pick note: Johnston will NOT count towards the Eagles’ formula since he was originally a restricted free agent and Philly opted not to tender him.)