44 Markus Golden OLB

Golden (ankle) played 21 defensive snaps during Saturday's preseason loss to the Bears.

Since training camp kicked off, Golden has dealt with plantar fasciitis and an ankle concern, the latter of which forced him out of practice for multiple days last week. However, he was able to take the field Saturday, when he added a solo tackle to his tackle for loss from preseason Week 1. In order to preserve the pass rusher's health, don't be surprised if he logs more DNPs in practice in order to give him a good shot to accrue double-digit sacks for the second consecutive season.

Golden (ankle) didn't practice Tuesday, Kyle Odegard of the Cardinals' official site reports.

The absence marks Golden's second in row and follows an offseason bout with plantar fasciitis. It's unclear if his ankle injury is related to the previous concern, but he'll likely focus on rehab now with the aim of achieving full heath by Week 1.

Golden (foot) played eight of 54 defensive snaps, all as a reserve, during Saturday's preseason win against the Raiders, Mike Jurecki of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports.

Golden's usage isn't all that surprising, considering he earned just shy of 71 percent of the defensive snaps last season, and his sole contribution Saturday was a tackle for loss. Expect the Cardinals to give him plenty of opportunity to run down quarterbacks opposite Chandler Jones in pursuit of a second consecutive campaign with double-digit sacks.

Golden (foot) has been battling plantar fasciitis this offseason, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Although Golden has been limited at times throughout the Cardinals' offseason program due to the plantar fasciitis, this issue doesn't appear to be anything serious in the grand scheme of things. However, that could always change if it lingers into training camp and the preseason, so don't be surprised if Arizona management continues to take a cautious approach with their reigning sack leader by limiting which drills he can partake in.

Golden secured 51 tackles (41 solo), including a team-high 12.5 sacks, and forced four fumbles in 16 games during the 2016 campaign.

In the Bruce Arians era, the Cardinals ranked in the top half of the NFL in sacks just one time in the first three seasons, boasting the sixth-most in 2013 with 47. With 35 and 36 in the subsequent two years, the front office was proactive last offseason, trading a 2016 second-round pick and disappointing guard Jonathan Cooper to the Patriots for Chandler Jones. The addition of Jones seemed to facilitate the development of Golden, who formed a fearsome pass-rushing combo with the Pro Bowler. Leading the league with 48 sacks this season, the Cardinals were one of two teams to roster a pair of double-digit sack artists -- also, divisional foe Seattle -- as Jones was right on Golden's tail with 11. Entering the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, Jones is a prime candidate to receive the team's franchise tag next month, at the very least. Maintaining consistency along the defensive front should help foster Golden's overall development.