Jeff Reed Is, and Should Be, the Steelers Top Offseason Priority

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is doing a daily report on the Pittsburgh Steelers free agents to be; Jeff Reed's article was published Friday, Jan. 29.

According to the article, Reed has already spoken with Coach Mike Tomlin, Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert, and team President Art Rooney II. According to Reed, all three have stated that they want him to eventually retire as a Steeler.

There was a lot of speculation as to what the Steelers were going to do with Reed.  Though he is one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL, and Reed kicks in the dreaded Heinz Field wind, now that his contract is up many people believed it was time for the Steelers to let him walk.

The two biggest knocks against Reed were his failure to kick the ball deep on kickoffs, and his failure to stay out of trouble off the field.

There was also Reed's inability to tackle the opposing kick returner, which was emphasized this year when no one else on special teams could tackle either.

With everything considered, it is looking like Reeds ability to put the ball through the uprights is more important to the Steelers than any other factor.

When you have a team that has had trouble punching the ball into the end zone once they hit the red zone, it is important to have someone that can put three points on the board when you can't get six.

When you factor in Reed's ability to succeed at Heinz Field (where others have performed so miserably), it is clear that the Steelers know what they have, and are willing to do what they need to to keep Reed in Black and Gold.