He’s a 100-game veteran who once led the NFL at his position, but Cameron Johnston won’t be a possible solution for one of the many problems the New York Giants face on special teams. Not after Big Blue cut ties with the eight-year pro.
Johnston was released “from the practice squad” on Monday, December 22, according to Giants.com Senior Managing Editor Dan Salomone. It’s a move sure to be welcomed by incumbent Jamie Gillan, who handled punting chores against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16
Gillan, the ‘Scottish Hammer,’ has been with the Giants since 2022, but he can’t match Johnston’s pedigree. He took over the starting job for the Giants’ bitter NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, and Johnston led the league in punting yards for the Houston Texans three years later.
As things stand, Gillan’s some way off topping the yardage charts, but he isn’t the only problem the Giants are facing in football’s third phase.
Giants Still Working Things Out on Special Teams
They only signed Johnston back on December 9, and the 33-year-old did average a solid hang time of 4.2 seconds against the Washington Commanders in Week 15. Unfortunately, one of Johnston’s kicks was returned 63 yards for a touchdown by rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane.
It was the second scoring runback given up by the Giants in as many games. Slot cornerback Marcus Jones burned them on a 94-yard punt return for the New England Patriots two weeks earlier.
Coverage units have been a problem all season, one reason the Giants added an outside linebacker who’s a special teams demon. A wayward kicking game has also stayed erratic, with Gillan averaging a career-low 37.6 net yards per punt, as well as putting a modest 14 inside the 20-yard line, according to Pro Football Reference.
The Giants had already binned Pro Bowl place-kicker Younghoe Koo before the 16-13 defeat to the Vikings, but they are content to give Gillan another chance, unchallenged, to put things right at his own position.
It’s no-small risk when ongoing problems on special teams have compounded the struggles of an offense that’s suffered another tough blow.
Jaxson Dart, Offense Facing Growing Problems
A lot of the issues on offense can be attributed to the way rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart’s development has stalled since Brian Daboll was fired as head coach. Daboll’s replacement Mike Kafka pushed back on the idea he’s to blame, but the interim boss did call out Dart’s mistakes against the Vikings, when the first-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft tallied just 13 net passing yards.
Dart needs help to progress, but it’s going to be tougher to come by after major injury news about his blindside protector. The Giants are left with a patchwork offensive line and depleted supporting cast around the player who is supposed to be the future of the franchise.
They are going to play out the final two games with Dart, so wins would build confidence. The Giants won’t earn those unless a makeshift offense is propped up by an aggressive defense and special teams that aren’t obvious liabilities.
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