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This past week has been a rollercoaster for the Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebackers. Initially, the team re-signed former Pittsburgh outside linebacker Markus Golden, providing much-needed depth as an edge rusher.
However, just days later, Golden shocked everyone by announcing his retirement. This left the Steelers seemingly back at square one in terms of their outside linebacker situation. Or did it?
In their first preseason game on Friday night, despite a loss to the Houston Texans, two standout players for Pittsburgh were outside linebackers – Jeremiah Moon and DeMarvin Leal. Both players recorded sacks and displayed strong performances.
Moon was claimed off waivers by the Steelers in January after a rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens. Despite facing setbacks due to injuries and COVID, the former Florida edge player showed his potential on the field.
Leal, who has slimmed down, impressed by playing reps at both outside linebacker and defensive end. Although he struggled in 2023, he seems to have used it as motivation for improvement.
In addition, last season’s backup Nick Herbig also made an impact, despite only playing 11 snaps on Friday night.
With their performances in mind, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to exclude Moon from the 53-man roster and Leal has solidified his position on the depth chart. Perhaps the Steelers may not need as much help at outside linebacker as initially thought.
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