Steelers waive kicker Jeff Reed

On the heels of a missed 26-yard field in Sunday night's loss to the New England Patriots--his seventh miss this season--the Steelers have released struggling kicker Jeff Reed. The team is expected to sign former Washington Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham.

Suisham tried out with the Steelers 2005 but was cut during training camp. he worked out at Heinz Field Tuesday morning.

In parts of four seasons with the Redskins, Suisham converted 81 of 101 field goal attempts. He made 18 of 21 field goals last season.

Reed is 15-of-22 on field goals this season and his kicking percentage of 68.2 is the lowest of his career.

He joined the Steelers midway through the 2002  season. He quickly became a fan favorite for his clutch kicking and his ability to kick in the difficult conditions of Heinz Field.

During the Steelers 2005 AFC Divisional Playoff game against the New York Jets, Reed kicked a 33-yard field goal in overtime after his New York counterpart Doug Brien missed two field goals. During the 2005-06 NFL playoffs, where the Steelers eventually won Super Bowl XL, Reed successfully kicked all three field goal attempts and converted all fourteen of his potential PATs. Reed's streak of 189 consecutive successful PAT's (210 including post-seasons), dating back to the Steelers' week 16 victory over the Chargers in 2003, came to an end on Monday November 3, 2008, against the Washington Redskins.

During Super Bowl XLIII, Reed went 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on PAT's in the Steelers 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Reed is the second-highest scoring Steeler. His 733 points trails Gary Anderson's 1,343.

Reed has had off-field issues, getting into minor trouble with the law and got into a verbal confrontation with a fan while leaving the field after Sunday's loss. He also blamed the Heinz Field turf for his most recent miss, saying, "I can't help it when turf moves and you miss a kick."

As the team’s franchise player in 2010, Reed received a guaranteed salary of $2.814 million. If he’s claimed on waivers, Reed’s new team will have to pay him $1.15 million over the balance of the season. If he goes unclaimed, Reed will pocket the balance of his salary from the Steelers — and he’ll be able to get paid by his next team.