The Pittsburgh Steelers have always had consistency when it came to Robert Golden and his position on special teams. Golden, who is in his third year as the special teams captain, is now stepping up in his role as the Steelers’ starting strong safety.
Golden became the consistent starter this season, starting the preseason games and the first two regular-season games. He’s recorded 15 tackles this season and picked up a fumble against the Bengals.
Needless to say, Golden is doing a good job filling in the shoes of Will Allen, who is currently a free agent after the Steelers let him go after the 2015 season.
It seemed pretty clear from the beginning of the season that Golden would get the starting job, even though the Steelers drafted safety Sean Davis in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Davis needs a strong safety to learn from, and Golden is the guy who’ll teach him.
The dynamo duo of Mike Mitchell and Golden has certainly been a threat this season; the Steelers have only given up one receiving touchdown thus far. And the touchdown — scored by Giovani Bernard in Week 2 — wasn’t even on Golden’s side.
With as well as Golden has been playing, defensive backs coach Carnell Lake’s development of Golden can’t be overlooked. If he can turn Golden from just a special teams’ star player to a well-rounded, starting strong safety, it’s great to think about what he’ll be able to do with Davis.
For now, giving Golden the starting nod in the coming weeks is the best option. Depending on how well Davis progresses in his development, he could start in the season’s later games.
However, there’s an old saying: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Golden is playing the best football of his career right now — even if it is only Week 2.
If the Steelers want to keep a consistent defense, they should continue to start Golden.
Image credit: Winslow Townson/AP
