The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly talking to Bud Dupree about a potential reunion, but what about Markus Golden? Dupree may have spent five years in Pittsburgh as a former first-round pick, but is he the better option? Golden was productive rotationally for the Steelers in 2023, but Dupree held a starting job for the Falcons.
Right now, the Steelers are only three-deep at outside linebacker, with second-year Nick Herbig the third. You can talk up Jeremiah Moon or David Perales, but you’ll feel differently if they need to start. Pittsburgh realized the importance of being at least four-deep recently, which is why it added Golden. So why not bring him back again?
“I would. Golden’s been a good, solid player”, Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Talk said on 93.7 The Fan. “I think him and Bud were in the same draft class, right? 2015. Markus Golden’s been a really good player for the majority of this career. I think he’s got an 83.5 [grade] on 305 snaps last year. His highest grade”.
Golden and Dupree indeed both came out in 2015, the latter a first-round pick and the former going in the second. Dupree has started 99 of 119 career games with 53 sacks and 90 hits. Golden only has 68 starts in 127 games, but with 51 sacks and 140 hits.
They are also very competitive in forced fumbles and tackles for loss, and both have one career interception. The biggest difference is Dupree has played about 600 more career snaps but has dealt with more injuries. Indeed, he missed five or more games in three consecutive seasons, but played 16 last year.
Dupree played 724 snaps last season for the Falcons, recording 39 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Comparatively, Golden only played 230 snaps on defense. He still managed 20 tackles, four sacks, six tackles for loss, and a pass defensed.
“I didn’t have high expectations when Bud was in his prime, so I like Golden”, Palazzolo said. In other words, if the Steelers were to sign one of the two grizzled veterans, he would go with Golden. Both of them have remained unsigned as unrestricted free agents throughout the offseason.
A year ago, Dupree only signed with the Falcons shortly before the draft. The Steelers expressed interest in re-signing him then, even bringing him to their facility. They ended up waiting until roughly a month after the draft before landing Markus Golden.
Golden only played under a Veteran Salary Benefit contract during the 2023 season, on top of that. Given that he still remains without a team, my sense is that his market is in the exact same place. I can’t imagine a good reason for the Steelers not to re-sign him, provided that he wants to return.
