Leading up to training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, there were some roster concerns, particularly at receiver and cornerback.
Quietly, there were also depth concerns at the outside linebacker position behind the trio of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig.
The Steelers claimed Jeremiah Moon from the Baltimore Ravens in January to give them some experience on defense and special teams. They also brought back practice squad guys David Perales and Kyron Johnson.
But depth was an issue then.
Two days into padded practices it appears to be a potentially serious issue now.
Perales went down with a knee injury Wednesday morning and had to be carted off, and Johnson also went down with a hamstring injury and had to be pulled out of practice. With Watt given a half-day in limited fashion, the Steelers were a bit thin at the position.
They might need to make a move there to shore up depth and add another body to the position.
Why not a reunion with Markus Golden?
He’s a player I’ve made the case for twice this offseason, both right after the season and then shortly after the Steelers missed out on a Bud Dupree reunion when the Steelers’ former first-round pick signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Markus Golden, who turned 33 in March, showed throughout the 2023 season in just 230 defensive snaps that he still has a lot of good football left. Golden recorded three sacks and 13 pressures on the season and was an impactful player down the stretch.
In the final three games of the season, including the Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills, Golden recorded eight pressures and two sacks, giving the Steelers some really good snaps in high-intensity situations.
Why not bring that guy back and solidify the OLB4 spot behind Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig for at least another season?
The problem is that Markus Golden doesn’t offer much on special teams, having played just 13 special teams snaps in 2023 for the Steelers and just 236 snaps in his career. Of course, Herbig could play a key role on special teams for the Steelers this season, but if Pittsburgh really wants to get him more involved defensively, they might cut back on his special teams snaps, putting more of an onus on the OLB4 to handle that role.
Based on that, Moon could have a larger opportunity to grab that OLB4 job since he had 142 snaps on special teams last season for Baltimore. It could create an opportunity for Perales or Johnson, too, but the injuries on Wednesday could create some issues.
Moon earned some praise from defensive coordinator Teryl Austin Wednesday in his first comments to the media since the start of training camp. With guys going down behind him, it wouldn’t hurt to create some competition by bringing Markus Golden back, shoring up the most important position on the Steelers’ defense.
The veteran is going to be cheap, has a great deal of experience, and was good in the room helping the younger players. In a year in which the Steelers seemingly have Super Bowl aspirations, they should move quickly to bring back Golden for cheap early in training camp and solidify the outside linebacker room again, especially after the group was hit by injuries Wednesday.
