Ryan Justin Steed (born July 21, 1990) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...

. He was signed by the New York Jets as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2012. He played college football at

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It beca ...

Early life

The son of Ernest Steed and Lisa King, Steed was born July 21, 1990 in Charleston, South Carolina. He attended Pinewood Preparatory School in

Summerville, South Carolina Summerville is a town in the U.S. state of South Carolina situated mostly in Dorchester County, with small portions in Berkeley and Charleston counties. It is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

, where he played both basketball and football. His basketball team achieved three SCISA AAA state championships. In football, where he played multiple positions, Steed was distinguished in his senior year by the Charleston ''

Post and Courier ''The Post and Courier'' is the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina. It traces its ancestry to three newspapers, the ''Charleston Courier'', founded in 1803, the ''Charleston Daily News'', founded 1865, and ''The Evening Post'', ...

'' as "all-region" for their All-Lowcountry Football second-team. In the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = G ...

Shrine All-Star Classic game, Steed was dubbed "Defensive Player of the Game".

Collegiate career

Steed played college football for Furman University. In 2011, he was named 1st team FCS All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

and the

American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maint ...

. He was also selected to play in the 2012 Senior Bowl. He earned 1st team All-

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

as a sophomore, junior and senior.

Professional career

New York Jets

Steed was signed as an

by the New York Jets on April 29, 2012. He was waived on August 29, 2012.

New Orleans Saints

Steed was signed to the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

' practice squad on December 19, 2012. On July 23, 2013, Steed was waived by the New Orleans Saints.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On July 30, 2013, Steed was signed by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...

as a free agent. On August 25, 2013, he was cut by the Steelers.

Calgary Stampeders

Steed was signed by the Stampeders on March 25, 2014 and released on July 11, 2014.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Steed signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in October 2014.

References

External links

Furman Paladins bioNew York Jets bioSaskatchewan Roughriders bio
1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Charleston, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina African-American players of American football American football cornerbacks Furman University alumni Furman Paladins football players New York Jets players New Orleans Saints players Pittsburgh Steelers players 21st-century African-American sportspeople {{Defensiveback-1990s-stub