On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided against placing injured second-year cornerback Senqeuz Golson on their Reserve/Inured list despite him being expected to miss at least the first six or more games of the regular season due to a Lisfranc injury that he suffered early during training camp. Instead, the team placed second-year outside linebacker Bud Dupree on the list with hopes that he’ll get the designated to return tag later on the season after he recovers from upcoming surgery on his groin.
The Steelers initial decision to not place Golson on Reserve/Injured means the team will likely carry him on their 53-man roster until he’s healthy enough to return to action. Golson, who had foot surgery several weeks ago to repair his injury, updated his current rehab status at the conclusion of the team’s Monday practice, which he of course didn’t participate in.
According to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Golson, who also missed his entire rookie season due to a shoulder injury, said Monday that he has now ditched the scooter he’s been using to get around with and that his surgically repaired foot is now in a walking boot, which he hopes to shed in two weeks.
Two weeks ago, Golson told the media that he believed he was seven weeks away from returning to action and that he definitely plans on playing this season. The fact that the Steelers didn’t place him on their Reserved/Injured list Sunday leads one to believe that the team might just think Golson has a better shot at returning to action prior to Dupree being able to.
With Golson sidelined for the immediate future, rookie safety Sean Davis is expected to be the team’s starting nickel cornerback. Additionally, the team addressed their cornerback depth on Saturday when they traded a 2018 sixth-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns for Justin Gilbert, a former first-round draft pick who has struggled during his first few years in the league.
While it’s nice of Golson to provide updates on his condition and expected time of return, it’s still yet to be seen whether or not he’ll make it back during the first half of the 2016 regular season. However, at least it appears as though the team’s doctors are pleased with the progress he’s made so far during his rehab.
