Johnston, originally from Geelong, crosses from the Houston Texans for his seventh season in the NFL that could stretch close to a decade after inking a three-year contract.

Another product of the Prokick Australia production line, Johnston, who was drafted by AFL cub Melbourne in 2010 but never played a senior game, has been in the NFL since he was picked up in 2017 by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he spent three seasons.

He’s played 95 games and was part of the Texans side that made the NFL playoffs this season, beating the Cleveland Browns before losing to the Baltimore Ravens.

“I’m super excited to be here,” Johnston said as he signed his contract.

Johnston is among a growing list of Australians in the NFL, including fellow punters Michael Dickson at Seattle, Lou Hedley at the New Orleans Saints and Mitch Wishnowsky at the San Francisco 49ers.

Jordan Mailata is also a key plank of the offensive line at the Eagles, while Daniel Faalele (Baltimore Ravens) and Adam Gostsis (Jacksonville Jaguars) are also among the non-punters in the league.