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It’s back to the drawing board at edge rusher for the Pittsburgh Steelers behind T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig.
Days after his return, it appears veteran outside linebacker Markus Golden has elected to retire from the NFL rather than suit up again in 2024.
“The Steelers placed Markus Golden on the reserved/retired list,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat reporter Ray Fittipaldo relayed on August 9. “The Steelers just signed Golden last week. He was excited to return, but he did not practice late in the week.”
The media member added that this is “a pretty significant blow for the Steelers defense” being that “they now need to find a fourth OLB.”
Golden turned 33 years old in March. After entering the league as a second-round selection of the Arizona Cardinals in 2015, the pass rush specialist accumulated 51.0 career regular season sacks along with 68 tackles for a loss and 140 QB hits. He also forced 12 turnovers.
During the postseason, Golden added another 2.0 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss and 3 QB hits.
Aside from two stints with the Cardinals (six and a half seasons total) and last year with the Steelers, the Missouri product also spent a season and a half with the New York Giants. He appeared in over 130 NFL games — starting 71 of them — and he contributed 5.0 total sacks and 7 tackles for a loss as a member of the Steelers organization in 2023.
Steelers Activate Cordarrelle Patterson off NFI List, Work out Several Linebackers
The Steelers news did not end with Golden on August 9. KPRC2 NFL insider Aaron Wilson also informed that veteran running back and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson has been activated off the non-football injury list after passing his physical.
On top of that, Pittsburgh worked out several linebackers — but not necessarily in response to Golden’s retirement. They were Abraham Beauplan, Frank Ginda, Anthony Hines and Luquay Washington.
It goes without saying that these four are not on the same level as Golden. None of them have ever appeared in a regular season game, let alone registered 50-plus career sacks. Instead, these prospects would serve as organizational depth if signed and might potentially replace waived/injured linebacker Tyler Murray.
In terms of the players themselves, all four are former undrafted talents that vary in age and background. Washington (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) is a rookie this year. He spent the early portion of the offseason with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Ginda (6-foot, 245 pounds), the oldest, was a rookie in 2018 and has bounced around the underbelly of the NFL ever since. He also suited up for the UFL’s Michigan Panthers this spring.
Hines (6-foot-3, 226 pounds) would be secondary to Ginda in terms of veteran status. His draft year was in 2021 but like Ginda, he’s been unable to break through and take the field for an active roster.
Finally, you have Beauplan (6-foot-2, 235 pounds), a UDFA in 2023. He has spent his entire NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings to this point.
Defensive back Nate Meadors will also stick with the Steelers organization after clearing waivers and join the reserve/injured list according to Steelers Depot.
Ex-Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster Cut by Patriots as 49ers ‘Renew’ Extension Talks With Brandon Aiyuk
In other news, former Steelers 1,000-yard wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has officially fallen on hard times — if he hadn’t already.
The New England Patriots chose to release Smith-Schuster on August 9 after their initial preseason game, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. The early cut provides the veteran wideout “the chance to sign somewhere before the season.”
It’ll be interesting to see if the Steelers look into a reunion with Smith-Schuster. After all, they have a clear need at the position, even if the former second-round pick is nowhere near what he once was in terms of production or impact.
The Steelers had been engaged in trade talks with the San Francisco 49ers for star pass-catcher Brandon Aiyuk, but things took a turn on August 9 as NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that Aiyuk and the Niners have now made a “renewed effort” to work out an extension.
Not long after that report, The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini added: “The Pittsburgh Steelers have not engaged in trade conversations with the San Francisco 49ers in the last 24 hours. In the meantime, the 49ers have opened up contract talk with Brandon Aiyuk and his agent, as many are reporting.”
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