The Pittsburgh Steelers addressed many of their roster’s weaknesses during free agency, but they still have a few flaws. Linebacker might be one of their more underrated needs. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson look set as the starters once again, but the depth behind them isn’t great. Also, Queen is a free agent next year, and the Steelers reportedly already had trade discussions about him this offseason. Bucky Brooks threw out Cincinnati’s Jake Golday as a potential fit for the Steelers’ linebacker room.
“This guy, having experience early, having his hand in the dirt, playing on the edges, and then playing linebacker, he does a bunch of different things,” Brooks said Monday on his Move the Sticks podcast. “When I look at him, he strikes me as a classic Pittsburgh Steelers-type. Heavy-handed.
“He’s another good one. And, when you look at his testing numbers, his testing numbers were really impressive, in terms of the way he moved around.”
Golday spent five seasons playing football in college, with the first three coming at Central Arkansas and the final two being at Cincinnati. As Brooks alludes to, Golday started out as an edge rusher but transitioned to linebacker after tearing his meniscus in the 2021 season.
That shows up in his film, too. He finished last season with 105 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, and 3.5 sacks. Golday plays with a different level of violence for a linebacker because of his background.
#11 Jake Golday Cincinnati. Is the most versatile defensive player in the draft. Can play off ball Will/Mike and Sam but also started off as an edge guy and has that skillet to be a Jack LB as an OLB in a 3-4. And he plays very physical. One of my favorite players in the draft pic.twitter.com/E1do0Wc1qW
— Leger Douzable (@LegerDouzable) March 31, 2026
The Steelers have had plenty of tough linebackers in their history. However, they’ve also had a few players at that position who started out as edge rushers, like Golday. Lawrence Timmons is a great example. When the Steelers drafted him, he was an outside linebacker, sitting behind the likes of James Harrison and Clark Haggans.
Then, the Steelers moved him to inside linebacker in his second season, and he flourished there, helping the team win a Super Bowl and going on to make a Pro Bowl and be named a Second-team All-Pro.
Timmons’ time on the edge was short, but it still impacted how he played the game. Perhaps Golday could bring something similar to the current Steelers. While he’s still learning the position, the Steelers could use someone who explodes at the point of contact like him. Queen and Wilson are both great athletes, but they have issues against the run. That’s where Golday’s strengths lie.
Golday is currently projected to be a Day 2 pick, and if the Steelers want him, they might have to spend their second-round pick on him. They had a formal interview with him at the Combine, so they have some interest in him. He could be a nice complement to Queen and Wilson as he adjusts to the NFL level.
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