With the Steelers’ 2023 offseason underway following a disappointing season that came up just short of reaching the playoffs, it’s time to begin reloading, through the free agency process, through the draft, and perhaps even through trade.
This is now a young team on the offensive side of the ball, though one getting older on defense. Both sides could stand to be supplemented robustly, including in the trenches—either one. Changes have been made to the coaching staff, even if not all of the desired ones, as the roster continues to renew with the weeks ticking by.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
Topic Statement: Markus Golden will have five-plus sacks for the Steelers in 2023.
Explanation: The Steelers added Markus Golden to serve as their rotational third edge rusher. While a very experienced player with considerable starting experience, he was signed to a veteran-minimum deal, and it’s unclear how much time T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith might be willing to spend on the sideline.
Buy:
The Steelers have been trying for at least the last few years to get a credible third edge rusher to contribute significant snaps for them. Melvin Ingram had aspirations of being that guy until he grew dissatisfied with his role. That shouldn’t be an issue at all for Markus Golden, who, on the wrong side of 30, still has something left in the tank.
Relieved of the obligation of being an every-down defender playing as relief for T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, Golden can more consistently play with juice to get after the passer. He’ll also be playing with a better defensive line than he had in Arizona—no disrespect to J.J. Watt, of course.
The Steelers’ pass rush should more closely resemble what they had for the past several years before dipping in 2022. And that is conducive to getting contributions from all over the defense. A veteran like Golden should feast in that environment and will finally allow the coaching staff to get the starters off the field for some breathers without feeling like they are dooming the team.
Sell:
Let’s start with this cold splash of water: the last time a third edge rusher had even four sacks in a single season for the Steelers was a year in which they didn’t really have a second edge rusher. That was Bud Dupree’s rookie season in 2015, with Arthur Moats technically starting most of the year but both considerably sharing playing time, even when Dupree was put into the starting lineup.
In fact, Moats is arguably the Steelers’ last credible third rusher, preceded by Jason Worilds. But, oh yeah, Golden himself is coming off a season in which he started and only posted two and a half sacks. How is he going to double that logging maybe 300 snaps?
