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Updated 3 hours ago
In many ways, cornerback Senquez Golson remains as much an unknown commodity to the Steelers as the day they drafted him in the second round in 2015 out of Mississippi.
That's what happens when you miss your first two seasons with injuries, when your next snap in a game — preseason or regular — will be your first, when you didn't suit up for your first training camp and barely were on the field for your second.
As the Steelers prepare for the 2017 season, they again have a spot in their secondary they hope the 23-year-old Golson can fill. They just aren't sure how much they can count on him, and they won't shy away from addressing cornerback in the draft even if Golson has a clean medical report.
“Sitting out two years is a concern,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said Thursday in a meeting with reporters, “because we haven't seen him. And when you don't play, it's not really easy to step up and get caught up. It's probably going to take him longer to get caught up just to being a football player.”
Still, the Steelers haven't given up on Golson, a player they spent the 56th overall pick to take in the draft two springs ago.
“I think he is an option at this point,” Colbert said. “Just because you get hurt for two seasons doesn't mean you can't come in and contribute. Physically, I know he can. We haven't seen him in extended football play with us.”
A shoulder injury in the summer that required surgery cost Golson his rookie season. Last year, it was a Lisfranc injury suffered early in training camp that put Golson on injured reserve.
A few silver linings for Golson are he attended team meetings and studied Keith Butler's defense the past two years. And the injuries are not related.
But until the Steelers begin offseason workouts, they won't know whether Golson has lost a step because of the foot injury.
“Anytime a defensive back, wide receiver or a skill guy gets a foot injury, you're a little concerned,” Colbert said. “Because, does he go from a 4.4 to a 4.45 or a 4.5 (in the 40)? We won't know what until we see him out there. So I'm a little more apprehensive.”
Such apprehension is a reason Colbert won't hesitate adding a cornerback in the draft. Colbert said the 2017 draft class is deep in the secondary because of the proliferation of spread offenses that corners and safeties must defend in college.
The Steelers already traded two lower-round picks to acquire cornerbacks no longer on the roster — Brandon Boykin (2015) and Justin Gilbert (2016) — in part because of Golson's injuries.
“When a guy has been injured, you don't want to refrain from adding a guy at that position just because there is potential that he could be OK, if that makes sense,” Colbert said. “Their health situation or their potential to help us won't stop us from adding another player at anybody's position.”
The Steelers hoped Golson would have filled, at least, the slot cornerback spot in the nickel defense by now. Artie Burns, the 2016 first-round draft pick, supplanted William Gay as the starting left cornerback midway through last season. Ross Cockrell finished his first full season as a starter on the right side and is expected to be re-signed as a restricted free agent.
Gay finished the season as the slot corner, but the Steelers might be inclined to upgrade the position.
Gay, 32, has a $2 million base salary and $2.63 salary cap figure that could make him a roster casualty. Al-Hajj Shabazz, who played six snaps on defense, is the only other cornerback on the roster with experience in the Steelers system. Recent offseason signees include Brandon Dixon, Greg Ducre, Mike Hilton and Devonte Johnson.
“We know we have three guys coming back at cornerback,” Colbert said, presumably referring to Burns, Cockrell and Gay. “The rest of the guys have potential or are unproven. So can we add? Absolutely, we can add in that area.”
With or without a healthy Golson on the roster.
Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jrutter@tribweb.com or via Twitter @tribjoerutter.
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