Suisham was injured on the second-half opening kickoff while attempting to make tackle going out of bounds. Maybe Pittsburgh will see what both can do as place kickers.
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Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted Suisham suffered a torn ACL and damaged cartilage on the second-half kickoff in the Hall of Fame Game on Sunday. Last year, Suisham scored 132 of Pittsburgh’s 436 points (that’s 30%) thanks to his golden foot, and only missed three field goals all season.
The question is who will the Steelers bring in to replace Suisham?
Suisham will undergo surgery on his left knee this week and is likely to be placed on injured reserve, ending his season, according to the reports.
Other kickers in consideration by head coach Mike Tomlin were veterans Billy Cundiff and Shayne Graham. He attempted three field goals and made them all, including a 43-yarder, but was waived by the team in May in favor of sixth-round draft pick Charles Gaines.
Suisham, 33, is a career 84.06 percent kicker and has made 87.9 percent of his kicks since becoming a Steeler in 2010. Suisham seemed to be able to tame the Ohio river monsters that swirl and sway come December and January. Winning the AFC North just got a bit harder for the black and gold and it all could have been avoided with some additional planning.
NFL agent Erik Burkhardt confirmed the agreement, as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network previously reported Hartley was one of three kickers, along with Jay Feely and Alex Henery, the Steelers worked out to fill the vacant position.
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Instead, they now must find another kicker. With so many regulars sitting out this game, why leave your kicker vulnerable for potential injury? He appeared to be the team’s long-term answer at kicker when he went 13-for-13 on field goal attempts as a rookie. Everyone hopes for a speedy recovery and please make sure you teach whoever Pittsburgh signs the secrets of kicking at Heinz Field.
