49ers cut big-booted former Pittsburgh Steelers punter

The San Francisco 49ers have released former Pittsburgh Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III in their first wave of cuts. The 49ers signed Harvin on August 9 to help with an injury to starting punter Mitch Wishnowsky.

Now, Harvin is back on the market and will search for another spot, but will likely either be stashed on a practice squad or wait for an injury to get an opportunity. In his opportunities in San Francisco, Harvin averaged a 44.9 yards per punt average, with seven of them landing inside the 20-yard line. His consistency is still an issue, but Harvin proved he has a big boot.

The Steelers pivoted to former Houston Texans punter Cameron Johnston and signed him to a three-year contract worth $9 million over its entirety. Pittsburgh has already seen Johnston impressively boot the ball, though his net punts have been lackluster due to Pittsburgh’s poor punt coverage.

Harvin was a seventh-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Georgia Tech. The former Ray Guy Award Winner, the Steelers saw him punt at his pro day in Atlanta in the rain and fell in love with him as a prospect. However, the same consistency that made him one of the best in college football did not translate to the NFL. The Steelers released him on February 12 as they turned over a new page to Johnston.