Year three had to be the season. It hurt to see the Steelers 2015 second round pick Senquez Golson need shoulder surgery shortly after the draft. The procedure sidelined him for the entire season before ever stepping on a football field. The second injury brought doubts. During one of the first times that Golson set foot on a training camp field, let alone an NFL field, he fell victim to a completely separate injury. This time, a Jones fracture in his foot hobbled him. A shoulder injury on a smaller cornerback should bring questions to how physical he can be long-term. A major foot surgery for a cornerback is like taking the wings away from a bird. Quick, fluid feet are a cornerback’s best friend, and entering year three, the status of his career could hardly get any worse.
Senquez Golson Running Out of Chances for Pittsburgh Steelers
Now, in his make or break season, the year that he had to prove the doubters wrong, Golson is back on the sideline and back on the injury report, this time coming on the very first padded practice of training camp.
Golson was covering a punt when he must have felt something in his hamstring. He ended up being carted off of the field, and is now in Pittsburgh, where he will see the severity of his injury.
Numbers Game
For a player in such a make or break year, every snap he misses on that field at St. Vincent is going to hurt his roster chances. He was on the bubble as he entered the year as it was. This is a player two years removed from playing football, leaving the Steelers with no options but to look to replace him.
The team signed Coty Sensabaugh this offseason, and they drafted both Brian Allen and Cameron Sutton. While Sutton has missed some time, it has been nothing major. Even with his small amount of time on the sideline, he has been out there just as much if not more than Golson has in three seasons combined. Golson is further behind in development than almost every cornerback on the 90-man roster, and has the least amount of practice reps. Every day that passes inches the three ahead of Golson on the totem pole.
The Steelers will keep between five and six cornerbacks this season. Ross Cockrell and Artie Burns are the locks to make the team. Longstanding Steeler William Gay has a nice inside shot as well. With the other three getting chances, over Golson, the Steelers are already at six cornerbacks. We are now at a numbers game that is slowly seeing the odds push Golson out.
Special Teams?
Golson was not going to be guaranteed a shot on the team if he had stayed healthy. In fact, earlier in the off-season secondary coach Carnell Lake stated that his easiest path to the roster was through special teams. For as little time that Golson has seen the field as a cornerback, he has even less time on special teams. Golson did not play on the unit in college, and may have never done it in his career.
As a special teamer, you are now competing against linebackers, safeties and wide receivers. These players have more experience, and are out there every day learning and growing as a cohesive unit.
Even if he comes back soon, the team cannot trust that he will not pull up lame at any time at this point. He is well behind on defense, even further behind on special teams and has essentially been replaced on the roster. The clock is ticking for Senquez Golson, and it may have struck midnight.
