Steelers cut veteran punter Dustin Colquitt

After only five games, the Dustin Colquitt experiment is over for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 16-year veteran was released Friday, three days after coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged the Steelers’ punting was “not up to snuff.”

The Steelers did not immediately announce who would punt for them during Sunday’s AFC undefeated showdown in Tennessee against the Titans in Nashville. They left a roster spot open on their 53-man roster, suggesting a signing will be announced Saturday. Although strong-legged rookie Corliss Waitman is on the practice squad, bringing back Jordan Berry is possible.

Berry reportedly was in Pittsburgh for a tryout Monday. NFL coronavirus protocols would allow him to join the Steelers on Saturday at the earliest, provided he tested negative for covid-19 on every day in between.

The son of a former Steelers Super Bowl-winning punter, Colquitt spent his entire career with the Kansas City Chiefs before parting ways after the team won the Super Bowl. The Steelers signed Colquitt the week prior to the season opener. He replaced Berry, who held the gig with the Steelers for the past five seasons.

NFL ranks among qualified punters in net average for Steelers--
2014 (Brad Wing): 29th
2015 (Jordan Berry): 24th
2016: 15th
2017: 23rd
2018: 26th
2019: 23rd
2020 (Dustin Colquitt): Dead last

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) October 20, 2020

But Colquitt ranked last in the NFL in net punting average (37.2) and fourth-to-last in gross average (43.1) through six weeks of the league’s season. Even before Tuesday, Tomlin had been openly critical of the punting game.

“We have to get better in that area,” Tomlin said, “and we are willing to do whatever is required in an effort to do so.”

The luxury of expanded practice squads in 2020 has allowed the Steelers the unprecedented move of keeping two punters around during the regular season.

Also in 2020, teams are permitted to promote up to two players from their practice squad for games without having to add them to their active roster or expose those players to waivers. Teams do not formally announce their practice-squad “call-ups” until the day before games.

Unless there was another punter the Steelers brought in and have been testing daily since Monday, Berry at this point is the lone alternative to Waitman.

Berry during 2015 training camp beat out fellow Aussie and Steelers incumbent punter Brad Wing. He became the only punter of the Mike Tomlin era to hold the gig with the Steelers over two full consecutive seasons, and he served in the role for 80 consecutive games despite repeated competition brought in by the team.

#Steelers 2-a-days: Corliss Waitman to compete at punter, time for James Washington’s emergence? https://t.co/6za65c6xAe

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) July 19, 2020

This summer, that competition came from the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Waitman. He was the punter at South Alabama for 2½ seasons and spent last fall at Mississippi State but was denied an NCAA waiver to compete in games as a transfer. Waitman was considered one of the top punting prospects in this year’s draft.

Like many NFL teams, the punter also serves as the holder, and the Steelers would not feel comfortable activating Waitman for games if they did not have faith in him handling the holding duties. Berry, despite mediocre numbers as a punter, was considered highly reliable as a holder.

Berry’s 328 punts for the Steelers had a gross average of 44.2 yards, only one was blocked and only one was returned for a touchdown.

Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.