ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Three weeks into rookie kicker Nate Freese’s career, the Detroit Lions have decided to part ways.

The Lions released Freese Monday and replaced him with former Philadelphia Eagles kicker Alex Henery, coach Jim Caldwell confirmed during his weekly news conference.

Freese, a seventh-round draft pick, made only three of his seven field-goal attempts, including a 41-yard miss at the end of the first half on Sunday against Green Bay.

That wide-left misfire sealed his fate and opened the door for Henery, a fourth-round pick by the Eagles in 2011 coming out of Nebraska.

Henery, 27, made 74 of his 86 field-goal attempts in three years with the Eagles, including 23-of-28 last season, before losing the job last month during training camp.

He was one of at least three kickers who reportedly worked out for the Lions last week. That group included Rob Bironas, who was killed in a car accident this past weekend.

"We had a number of guys come in and had them go through a battery of tests just in terms of kicking duties," Caldwell said. "We felt he (Henery) was the best out of the bunch. He was accurate. He was really decisive in terms of his kicks. He has experience in the league and is going to be able to do the things we require him to do."

Giving up on Freese, 23, so quickly shows the intense pressure placed on kickers to produce immediately in the N(ot)F(or)L(ong).

It’s a league in which so many games are decided by very narrow margins. The Lions simply couldn’t wait for Freese to develop if they are going to contend for a division title and playoff bid.

Still, it’s a disappointing development for the team, which had hoped Freese would be a long-term solution at kicker.

The Lions were spoiled by Jason Hanson’s consistency during a two-decade career, but they’re still trying to find a replacement.

Freese is not expected to be re-signed to the practice squad, either.

"Sometimes it’s a difficult thing to put your finger on," Caldwell said of Freese’s failure to live up to what the Lions anticipated when they drafted him. "In this particular sport, at this particular level, it’s difficult. You get heavily scrutinized. The pressure mounts on you as well.

"He’s a guy that’s very capable. It’s pretty obvious that we thought he was very, very good at what he does.

"He’s not the first guy that’s been drafted that’s been released in terms of that particular position. Most of them (kickers), when you look at their records, have been at several different places and then at one point in time, they sort of get settled in and kick for a long period of time.

"I think you’ll see the same thing happen with him at some point in time because he does have talent."

Freese got off to a shaky start during training camp, but he bounced back to make one 55-yard and two 53-yard field goals in preseason games.

That seemed to put an end to the questions about his leg strength and range.

Instead, it was his consistency that led to his downfall, which was surprising because he hit all 20 field-goal attempts during his senior year at Boston College, and was 18-for-20 as a junior.

In three regular-season games for the Lions, he missed from 41, 43 and twice from 49 yards.

"The thing that we looked at, this guy had talent, he could kick the ball, kick it well, you don’t miss a kick your senior year, a lot of positives about him," Caldwell said of wasting the draft pick on Freese.

"I think they’re still there but, obviously, the performance is what counts in this league. That’s no matter who you are, no matter what position you play, no matter what you do, whether you’re coaching, whether you’re playing, whatever it might be. Everybody’s evaluated and expected to perform accordingly."

And when they don’t, they lose their job, even after just three games.