By Kevin Gorman
August 30, 2017
(Scott Galvin/Custom)
Somehow, the Steelers' search for a competent cornerback — never mind a shutdown starter — brought them back to the Cleveland Browns.
Only hours after being cut Wednesday, Joe Haden escaped the city we commonly call the Mistake by the Lake by signing a reported three-year, $27-million deal with their AFC North nemesis.
Haden was one of the few Browns with credibility, a two-time Pro Bowler and one of only two NFL players with 100 pass breakups since 2010.
When it comes to mistakes, however, the Steelers have it covered at corner.
Since Ike Taylor retired in April 2015, they have drafted five cornerbacks, traded two more draft picks for three others and signed a crew of castoffs. It started with the selection of Senquez Golson in the second round, their highest pick at corner since Bryant McFadden in '05.
Golson was supposed to be a solution at cornerback. He was projected as having “Pro Bowl potential,” and NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock called Golson “one of the best pure zone corners I've seen.”
Instead, Golson is in jeopardy of becoming one of the biggest busts in Steelers draft history.
Golson could go down in second-round shame with the likes of millennium misses Mike Adams, Limas Sweed, Ricardo Colclough and Alonzo Jackson.
But it's hard to call Golson a bust when we haven't even seen him play. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin expressed his frustration when asked how to evaluate Golson, given that he's never had him in uniform.
“There's nothing to evaluate,” Tomlin said with an elongated pause. “He hasn't practiced.”
Golson has spent the past two seasons on injured reserve, following a torn labrum as a rookie and a Lisfranc fracture last year. On July 30, the first day of practice in full pads, he pulled his hamstring and hasn't practiced since.
“It's more frustrating, knowing what I can do and not being able to show it,” Golson said. “I've learned to embrace the adversity. I've had my share. Do you know anybody who's been through more than me, back-to-back-to-back like that, without even seeing a game?”
Nope. Never.
If Golson doesn't play in the preseason finale Thursday at Carolina — and there are no indications he will — it will mark the 50th game he's missed, counting preseason, regular season and postseason.
The Steelers have sent a strong statement about their dissatisfaction with the play at corner. The past two years, they traded with the Eagles for Brandon Boykin, the Browns for Justin Gilbert and the Redskins for Dashaun Phillips, signed free agents like Ross Cockrell and Coty Sensabaugh and drafted Artie Burns, Cameron Sutton and Brian Allen.
The signing of Haden was welcomed with open arms by Steelers players who have their sights set on the Super Bowl — the NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala called Antonio Brown an “advocate” — but should come with a warning: Haden allowed an NFL-high six touchdowns last year and a passer rating of 158.2 in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus.
Yet Haden had three interceptions last season, the same as Burns. William Gay was the only other Steelers corner to get a pick on a defense that ranked 16th against the pass and 24th in completion percentage allowed. That's what Golson, who had 10 interceptions as a senior and 16 in his career at Ole Miss, was supposed to bring to the Steelers' secondary.
“He's a ballhawk,” said Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton, an undrafted free agent who played with Golson at Ole Miss. “When that ball is in the air, it's his.”
That is, if Golson ever plays.
It's hard to see how the Steelers can justify keeping Golson, although placing him on IR or hoping he clears waivers and then signing him to the practice squad are options. Golson indicated he's only days away from returning to practice, but the Steelers are just days away from making cuts to get down to a 53-man roster.
Golson is hopeful he can stick with the Steelers, even though he knows the NFL adage that you can't make the club in the tub. He believes he owes it to Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert, who invested in him but have yet to be rewarded.
“I don't want to be anywhere else, don't want to play for anyone else,” Golson said. “What I bring to the table, I want to bring it here. I see what they're building here. I owe it to them.”
The Steelers owe Golson nothing at this point, and their preseason roster moves at cornerback make you wonder if he's run out of time with the team.
Signing Haden shows the Steelers have run out of patience, finally paying a premium at a position that's long been a problem.
Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
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