The Pittsburgh Steelers surprised everyone by choosing to make veteran outside linebacker Markus Golden inactive for their Week 14 game against the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football.
Despite playing in all 12 of the team's previous games, the 32-year-old Golden found himself ranked third in the rotation behind starting linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
The Steelers did not provide a reason for his inactivity, and Golden was not mentioned on the team's injury report for the week.
As a result of Golden's absence, rookie Nick Herbig will take on the role of primary backup at the edge rusher position. Kyron Johnson, who has demonstrated his value on special teams, will serve as the fourth outside linebacker after being activated for the second consecutive week.
The Steelers' inside linebacker position is not very deep, as Elandon Roberts is expected to tough it out with a groin injury. In response, the team has activated Blake Martinez, who will likely rotate with Roberts and Mykal Walker as starters.
To address their lack of depth at outside linebacker, the Steelers brought in Golden as a free agent from the Arizona Cardinals during the offseason. This move was in response to Watt missing a significant portion of the 2022 season and the team struggling to find suitable replacements.
However, Golden has seen limited action this season. In 12 games, he has recorded 11 tackles, three tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, and three sacks. He has played in only 156 snaps, which accounts for approximately 19% of the Steelers' defensive plays.
Herbig has already been on the field for 103 plays, but it is expected that he will have more playing time on Thursday since Golden will not be available.
On Thursday, the Steelers decided to make five other players inactive: quarterback Kenny Pickett (recovering from right high ankle sprain surgery), running back Anthony McFarland, cornerback James Pierre (recovering from a shoulder injury), tackle Dylan Cook, and defensive end DeMarvin Leal.
