Steelers’ training camp: Senquez Golson done?
By Justin Roem
The Steelers may have pulled off a trade for the Eagles’ Brandon Boykin just in time. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that second round pick, Senquez Golson may need season-ending surgery.
In fact, Still Curtain’s Zack Goncz thought that the Steelers finally pulled the trigger on the trade with the Eagles because of the injury to Golson–that was before the Gazette report, and confirmed by Ed Bouchette in the post.
The shoulder injury already started to hamper the talented cornerback as he opened training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Now, the team is considering putting him on the shelf until 2016.
While, it was no lock that Golson would have been a difference-maker on the Steelers’ defense, his talent and ball skills are something that the secondary was missing last year. Any help in the defensive backfield would have been welcome.
The trade for Boykin helps the Steelers immensely, but losing Golson would hurt from a depth and development standpoint. If Cortez Allen is not able to have a bounce back year, then the Steelers may not be that much better off than they were last year.
Doran Grant, another of the Steelers’ draft picks in 2015, will look to step up and make an impact on defense. Antwon Blake will look to build on a strong end to 2014, but personnel might not be the Steelers’ only answer to defensive deficiencies.
Reports from camp have been that the Steelers are sprinkling in some cover-2 schemes and tendencies into their defense. This caters to the ability of the down lineman on the roster to rush the passer, and the corners to track and play the ball.
Bob Labriloa wrote on the team’s website about some of the details of how the team might incorporate and benefit from some cover-2 techniques. The scheme is, after all, very familiar to Mike Tomlin, who spent time as a secondary coach for Tampa Bay, where their cover-2 scheme excelled.
Right after some good vibes from the Brandon Boykin trade, Steeler Nation endures bad news for the cornerback position. The decision for Golson to have surgery has not been made yet, but it would be a huge disappointment if he weren’t available in 2015. Alas, next man up.
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