Pittsburgh Steelers make big gamble with young, untested corners

PITTSBURGH -- The last thing the Pittsburgh Steelers needed was another major injury to second-year cornerback Senquez Golson. Fortunately for them, the latest injury is minor in comparison to the shoulder injury that forced him to miss his entire rookie season last year.

Golson missed a spring practice last Thursday to get an MRI. He missed another one Tuesday, but said after practice the MRI was for a soft tissue injury unrelated to his surgically repaired shoulder.

"The MRI was not on the shoulder," Golson said. "I'll miss just a couple of days. The shoulder is 100 percent ready to go."

That's good news for the Steelers, who are counting on last year's second-round pick to contend for a starting job in their revamped secondary. Golson, Artie Burns, this year's first-round pick, and second-round pick Sean Davis are the future.

The Steelers let veteran Antwon Blake, a starter for all 16 regular-season games and two playoff contests, to leave in free agency. They also let veteran Brandon Boykin, who ascended to the starting nickel job late in the season, become a free agent.

William Gay is back as one starter, but the other outside job and the slot corner job are open. Golson, who is 5-feet-9, is projected by many as the slot corner because his size could be a disadvantage on the outside.

"I kind of figured out ways to play against the bigger receivers at 5-9 when I was playing against them at Ole Miss," he said. "It doesn't make a difference to me."

Gay is the only Steelers defensive back participating in OTAs with considerable NFL experience. Starting free safety Mike Mitchell is rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery and is not expected to return until training camp. At strong safety, Davis and veteran Robert Golden are competing for the starting job. Golden started three games last season, but his previous experience came only on special teams.

That means some young players will get important reps this spring. It also means training camp reps will be especially important for the players who are missing time this spring.

"As a group, we want to be ready for the 2016 season," Gay said. "We want to do better than last year. Last year we got to the divisional round. Our goal is to win the Super Bowl. As a group we want to be better than last year."