The Pittsburgh Steelers are hosting Markus Golden at the UMPC Rooney Sports Complex. Golden, an outside linebacker, has spent the majority of his career with the Arizona Cardinals.
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Markus Golden has spent most of his career in Arizona with the Cardinals.
Jordan Schultz, an NFL insider with The Score, announced the news on Twitter.
Markus Golden is visiting the #Steelers today, sources tell @theScore.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) May 23, 2023
The veteran pass rusher has recorded three seasons with at least 10 sacks. He also racked up 4 FF during the 2021 season with the #AZCardinals.
Golden played at the University of Missouri prior to being drafted in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Cardinals. The coach that welcomed him to Arizona was Bruce Arians, the former Steelers offensive coordinator. During his rookie season, Golden was the backup strong-side linebacker to former Steeler, LaMarr Woodley, who was in the last season of his career.
Ronald Martinez
Pittsburgh Steelers OLB LaMarr Woodley and DE Brett Keisel take to the air.
Golden's first career start also came against Pittsburgh in October of 2015. He recorded a season-high six combined tackles, but the Cardinals fell to the Steelers 25-13.
Golden has played both strong and weak side linebacker. His best statistical season was 2016 where he led the Cardinals with 12.5 sacks and was third in the entire league. Partnered up with Chandler Jones, the two were a formidable duo, recording 22.5 sacks that season, the first time Arizona had two players with double-digit sack counts since 1984.
In 2019, Golden signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants and recorded 10 sacks. He stayed in New York for two seasons before returning to Arizona in 2020. He was released by the Cardinals in March of 2023 and is looking for a new home.
Does Markus Golden Fit In Pittsburgh's Defense?
The Steelers are in need of some help at outside linebacker. It is one position that was not addressed via the draft and feels like a gaping hole considering how traumatic the loss of T.J. Watt was when he was injured in 2022.
The two-headed monster that is Alex Highsmith and Watt, creates a lot of havoc on opposing offenses and could easily become a three-headed one with the addition of Golden. Currently, the Steelers have rookie Nick Herbig out of Wisconsin and third-year free agency acquisition, Quincy Roche as the backups.
The thought of having another solid veteran presence on the line makes sense. Enough so that the team has been entertaining this possibility all offseason, even talking with former Steelers standout, Bud Dupree.
Gene Puskar, AP
Former Steelers LB Bud Dupree
If the Steelers do bring a vet such as Golden on board, they will have to decide how to get everyone playing time and how to make the most out of the talent they have. When the team tried this in 2021 with Melvin Ingram, it was a disaster. Ingram didn't think he was of backup caliber and requested a trade.
If Golden has as much left in the tank as he seems to think he does, he could be an excellent fit on an already disruptive defense.
What do you think about the Steelers bringing Golden on board? Do you think he makes sense? How does the team work in new packages to ensure success? Click to comment below.
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