The Steelers have cut struggling kicker Jeff Reed and will replace him with former Cowboys and Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham. Suisham made 20 of 24 field goals last year and has made 79 percent of his field goals for his career.
Despite Reed’s stupid recent rant about the Steelers’ turf and their fans, I feel a little bad for him here. His 15-for-22 performance this year has been bad, but it includes a number of tough misses from long distances, and he’s been a better kicker than Suisham for his career. Reed actually made all his attempts this year from fewer than 40 yards – except for one. The straw that broke the camel’s back came when he missed a 26-yard field goal against the Patriots. Still, the message seems pretty clear – miss a handful of attempts, and you’re gone. I'm not saying the Steelers were wrong to drop him, but it's a rough life out there for kickers.
Reed made 204 of 249 career attempts for the Steelers, including 52 of 84 from 40 yards or more. It’s possible the Bengals could pick him up after their loss of Mike Nugent.