One of Mike Tomlin’s many cliches is “next man up” and now that phrase will likely get put to its’ test. Late in practice earlier today, safety Robert Golden went down with what appeared to be a very serious injury.
Tomlin did not know the severity of the injury when he spoke to the media following practice but from the many people tweeting about it the injury is not going to be a ‘boo-boo.’ Golden appeared to collide with the Steelers’ Antonio Brown knee-to-knee and he immediately went to the ground screaming in pain.
While I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, it certainly sounds like Golden will miss an extended period of time. It’s a crushing blow for a fourth-year guy who looked to have a roster spot locked up.
If I assume Golden will be out awhile, the door for some of the young safety players just got kicked in. Consider that both Mike Mitchell and Shamarko Thomas are already out nursing minor injuries. While it’s believed both guys should be fine for the start of the regular season, what does this mean moving forward?
There are still five preseason games left to play…
The Steelers have to now look long and hard at Gerod Holliman. The rookie is currently listed as the third-team strong safety behind Thomas and Golden. By now, you know that Holliman is ball-hawk but tackles as well as my cat. I expect that to improve but will it quickly enough to garner a roster spot for him?
Behind Holliman are Alden Darby and Jordan Sullen who just came to the Steelers a few days ago. Darby is a guy I find intriguing and he’s shown some flashes in camp but whether or not he has staying power is still unclear.
If Golden is indeed out then what we are looking at is an open rehearsal for the back-up strong safety spot. That’s a bit scary when you think about it because Shamarko Thomas has yet to prove he can stay healthy.
Perhaps Gerod Holliman’s time is coming sooner for the Steelers than we anticipated.
