The Steelers got one veteran back from an injury list but lost another to retirement.
No. 1 kick returner and backup running back Cordarrelle Patterson, who began training camp on the non-football injury list, was removed from that designation Friday night before kickoff against the Texans. That’s likely an indication that he’ll begin practicing Sunday back in Latrobe after he missed the first couple of weeks with a hamstring issue from his post-minicamp training.
But eight days after re-signing with the Steelers, veteran outside linebacker Markus Golden abruptly retired earlier Friday, just hours before the Steelers’ first preseason game against the Texans at Acrisure Stadium.
The addition of Golden last week was some welcome news for the Steelers, who were searching for a fourth outside linebacker to round out their rotation behind starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith and top reserve Nick Herbig.
Now, the Steelers must start the search anew with a month to go before the start of the regular season. The coaches had defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal working at outside linebacker in Thursday’s practice at Saint Vincent College. He played there as a rookie when Watt suffered a pectoral injury.
Golden played 10 seasons in the NFL, including 2023 with the Steelers. He had four sacks as a reserve outside linebacker. For his career, Golden finished with 51 sacks in 127 career games, including 68 starts.
Golden, a second-round pick in the 2015 draft, also played for the Cardinals and Giants.
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and @rayfitt1 on X. Brian Batko contributed to this story.
First Published: August 9, 2024, 8:52 p.m.
Updated: August 10, 2024, 2:05 a.m.
