Steelers players who will not be back in Pittsburgh in 2023
By Tommy Jaggi
Malik Reed hasn’t been worth another contract with the Steelers
Though I wasn’t the biggest Malik Reed fan, I didn’t have a problem with the Pittsburgh Steelers exchanging late-round draft capital to acquire his services just before the NFL cut-down date. However, since filling in for the injured T.J. Watt, it’s evident that Reed has been one of the weakest links in Pittsburgh’s starting lineups.
This is to be expected most of the time when a backup is asked to fill such big shoes, but Reed has offered almost nothing for the Steelers so far. Undersized with poor athletic traits, Reed is easily washed out of the play against the run and doesn’t have the speed or length to win consistently as a pass rusher. He also hasn’t played significant special teams snaps since his rookie season with Denver in 2019.
Simply put, there’s just no logical reason why the Steelers should sign him to a contract during the 2023 offseason — even if he comes at a cheap rate. This team will be getting Watt back, and they could do a lot better in terms of finding a third edge defender.
Because of his respectable production in the past, Reed will likely land on his feet somewhere as a backup for some other team, but there’s just not a good enough reason to keep him around following the 2022 season.