Steelers Gambling That Markus Golden's Connections Make Him A No-Risk Signing For 2023

The Pittsburgh Steelers are confident that TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith are the next great duo of pass rushers to dominate offensive lines for the foreseeable future. The team is working to lock up Highsmith with an extension, but before that gets finished, Pittsburgh has addressed some of the depth concerns behind the ferocious twosome. Pittsburgh had former Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Markus Golden in for a visit, resulting in him signing a contract.  

The team wasn't shy in its intentions to find a veteran to play behind Watt and Highsmith in 2023. A reunion with former Pittsburgh first-round pick Bud Dupree fell through because of the details of the contract, but the fact that the front office would reach out to and host a player the team knew well pointed to the fact that Pittsburgh was looking for more experience. Before the signing, the team has Quichy Roche and rookie, Nick Herbig as depth.

In 2022, the team was still looking to add a pass rusher late in the offseason and make an August trade to bring in Malik Reed from the Denver Broncos. Reed had started 26 games in the previous two seasons and had three forced fumbles and 13 sacks. The 26-year-old never really found his game in Pittsburgh though. He played in 14 of 17 games and got just two starts in games against the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. 

His stats for the season were incredibly pedestrian, posting just one sack and a single tackle for a loss. He left Pittsburgh in free agency to reconnect with his former Broncos Head Coach, Vic Fangio, who is now the defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins.  

Two seasons ago, Steeler Nation will remember the Melvin Ingram saga. The team signed him in July and the relationship soured to the point where Pittsburgh ditched him for a sixth-round pick. Head Coach, Mike Tomlin famously pulled out his 'volunteers, not hostages' line in reference to the veteran no longer wanting to be a member of the Steelers. 

Steelers Connections Key To Avoiding Another Hostile Departure

The full story of why Ingram didn't work out in Pittsburgh is likely tied to the pre-signing communication about his role. All he had to say at the time of the trade was his role 'was kind of different and wasn't what I thought it was going to be.' So, the first thing in making this work for Golden is conveying what the team has planned for him. 

The other advantage the team has in making this a success this time around is the connections Golden already has to some of his new teammates and the coaching staff. Patrick Peterson was one of the team's biggest free-agent signings and spent time with Golden in Arizona. He's excited about what his former teammate can bring to the Steel City. 

"Markus will definitely be a guy that wants to put his hand in the pile and help contribute to help this defense be as successful as we can,” Peterson said via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “As you know, you can never have enough corners or enough pass-rushers. He’s a guy, I feel, that can come in and help us tremendously.”

Golden comes in knowing his positional coach, Denzel Martin, probably better than anyone on the roster. The two were teammates at Missouri and lived together. Golden knew then that Martin was going to be a great coach. He told the Columbia Tribune that it was an adjustment Martin suggested which allowed him to get a sack on then-Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.  

Golden has three double-digit sack seasons in his career, including most recently in 2021 with the Cardinals in a depth role. He started just five games but played in 67% of the team's defensive snaps in the 16 games in the lineup. Pittsburgh is hoping that with the kind of familiarity to feel at home, Golden can be a contributor when they need him to be.