Player: OLB Markus Golden
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: The Steelers announced the signing of veteran OLB Markus Golden, who is a familiar face. They signed him following the 2023 NFL Draft, employing him as their third edge rusher last year. A year later, he is set to play behind his former backup, Nick Herbig, who should play more this season.
The Steelers announced the signing of Markus Golden on Thursday, taking the place of injured David Perales on the roster. Golden is an experienced veteran with plenty of starts under his belt—and familiarity with this defense. He is wearing 91 for now, as seen in the picture above, but that can change later on.
Golden signed with the Steelers shortly following the 2023 NFL Draft, serving as the third edge rusher last season. But now that he is back, he will sit behind the man they drafted before signing him, Nick Herbig. At this point, it seems unlikely that he has much chance of upending that pecking order.
The Steelers obviously really like what Herbig is now, but especially what he can be. Some view him as a starting-quality player who is playing behind two Pro Bowl-quality starters. But if Golden can play the way he did last year, they have a good problem on their hands.
On 230 snaps last season, Markus Golden contributed 20 tackles, six for loss, four sacks, and 10 hits. But Herbig, in 191 snaps, recorded 27 tackles, five for loss, with three sacks and two forced fumbles. Herbig’s tackle total includes work on special teams, to which Golden does not contribute.
And that’s a problem for him because I don’t think the Steelers are locked into carrying four outside linebackers. While they almost always do, they have a lot of depth in some areas of the roster, and they don’t have a strong fourth who contributes on special teams. Meanwhile, the new kickoff rules open the door for defensive linemen to get special teams hats.
In other words, while the Steelers welcomed him back, there’s a reason they are signing him in August. He doesn’t have a guaranteed roster spot waiting for him, and he may not even dress regularly if he does make the team. He should be on the 53-man roster, and he probably will dress, but that can change from week to week.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
