Aug 11, 2015 3 min read

LATROBE – The Steelers welcomed a number of veteran players who had been sitting out training camp practices back Tuesday at Saint Vincent College.

They also welcomed a new kicker.

With placekicker Shaun Suisham likely out for the season after suffering a torn ACL, the Steelers signed Garrett Hartley yesterday.

Suisham and running back Cameron Stingily were each injured in Sunday’s 14-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the Hall of Fame Game. Both will have ACL surgery today.

Hartley, 29, is entering his seventh NFL season, having kicked from 2008 through 2013 with New Orleans and part of last year with Cleveland.

He earned a Super Bowl ring in 2010 with New Orleans, hitting an overtime field goal against Minnesota in the NFC Championship then connecting on all three field goal attempts in the Super Bowl. Those field goals were from 40 or more yards, making him the only kicker to accomplish that in the Super Bowl.

“He’s an established guy,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin of Hartley, who beat out Jay Feely and Alex Henery in a tryout at Heinz Field yesterday morning.

“He’s a been-there, done-that guy. He did a nice job today. We’ll get to know him along the way.”

Hartley has had some troubles in his career. He was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the 2009 NFL season after testing positive for Adderall, a banned substance per the NFL drug policy.

Then, he missed the 2011 season after suffering a hip injury in the preseason.

He returned to make 18 of 22 field goals in 2012, including 3 of 4 from more than 50 yards, but after an erratic 2013 season in which he was just 22 of 30, he was released.

Hartley appeared in two games for Cleveland last season, making all three of his field goal attempts, and has converted 81.7 percent of his career kicks.

He’ll get the first opportunity to replace Suisham, who was very popular with his teammates and holds the Steelers’ career record for field goal accuracy at more than 87 percent.

Suisham has been especially good at Heinz Field, one of the trickier venues in the NFL for placekickers. Suisham is 62 of 71 (87.3 percent) on field goal attempts there. Opposing kickers have connected on just over 75 percent of their field goal attempts at Heinz Field since it opened in 2001.

Also this season, the NFL has moved PAT attempts back to the 15-yard line, making it a 33-yard kick. Hartley is 27 of 35 in his career on kicks from 30 to 39 yards,

“Hopefully, we find a kicker that performs like Suisham did, who can kick in the types of weather that we play in,” said Steelers guard David DeCastro.

Interestingly, despite playing most of his career in a domed stadium in New Orleans, Hartley has been a better kicker outdoors in his career, 89.1 percent conversion rate to a 75 percent rate indoors.

Meanwhile, a number of veterans returned to practice, hoping to see their first preseason action Friday at Jacksonville.

Included in that group were linebacker James Harrison, safeties Mike Mitchell and Shamarko Thomas, cornerback Cortez Allen and wide receivers Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton.

“We got a lot of guys back, and hopefully that continues,” said Tomlin. “These guys need to state a case for themselves in terms of etching out a role, and participation is a part of that.”

To make room on their roster for Hartley, the Steelers placed wide receiver Devin Gardner on the Waived/Injured List. … The Steelers will practice today at 2:55 p.m. before taking Thursday off to head to Jacksonville. It is open to the public.