Head coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently gearing up to take part in the 2023-24 NFL season, which is set to begin in just over a month. While they may not be the most talented squad out there, the Steelers continue to churn out winning seasons and playoff appearances, thanks in large part to the defensive emphasis implemented by Tomlin and his staff over the years.

On Thursday, the team got even stronger in that department by signing former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Markus Golden, via Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network on X, formerly Twitter.

Golden played his college ball at Missouri and was drafted into the NFL by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Golden would go on to play four seasons in Arizona before joining the New York Giants for two seasons and then returning to Arizona in 2020 for the next three years before being released by the team in 2023.

Over his career, Golden has recorded 51 sacks, forced 11 fumbles, made 343 tackles, and also made an interception, and at the age of 33, Tomlin and his staff are banking that he has enough juice left in the tank to still contribute at a high level while simultaneously relaying his valuable veteran experience to some of the younger players along the defense.

Will the Steelers be competitive in 2024?

Of course, the biggest moves of the offseason for the Steelers this year revolved around the quarterback position, as the team signed former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson after he was released and also traded for former Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields after that team decided to tie their future to Caleb Williams in the NFL Draft.

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While Wilson and Fields are both taking reps so far during training camp, it is generally expected that it will be Wilson who gets the start for the team in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, a team he has faced off against multiple times in the playoffs throughout his career.

Still, despite this, the defense will figure to be a huge decider of just how far the Steelers can go this year after their season ended in the first round of the playoffs vs the Buffalo Bills a year ago.

In any case, the Falcons and Steelers are set to square off on September 8 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That game is slated to kick off at 1:00 PM ET.