The Pittsburgh Steelers will be down two cornerbacks on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys as both Ike Taylor (ankle) and Cortez Allen (groin) will be on the sideline due to injuries. Allen has played the nickel role all season in the Steelers sub-package so the Steelers certainly have a hole to fill Sunday in Dallas.
Curtis Brown and Josh Victorian are both expected to see time opposite Keenan Lewis, and according to Ralph Paulk of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, we could see rookie undrafted safety Robert Golden line up as the nickel this week with Allen out as he reportedly has taken reps there this week in practice.
Golden bounced back and forth between the cornerback and safety position while at Arizona due to need and that likely caused him to be a combine snub as a result. He is regarded as a good tackler and has above average coverage skills. The only drawback is that he has only seen the field for 2 plays this season and both of those plays were at safety.
During his career at Arizona Golden played in 51 games and recorded 182 total tackles, 18 pass breakups and 4 interceptions. He also was credited with 3 forced fumbles in addition.
When you think about it, playing Golden in the slot is a pretty good idea as not only should he be able to play the run if need be, he should also be able to play some press man coverage inside after playing quite a bit down in the box at Arizona.
If indeed Golden does play the nickel role on Sunday he very well might get several chances to go against Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin, who lined up inside several times when the Cowboys had their 11 personnel on the field last week against the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the Steelers down to several inexperienced young corners this week, it will be a “Golden opportunity” for all them to step up and make up for the poor showing last week against the San Diego Chargers.
Look for Golden to get his opportunity in the nickel against Dallas.
