44 Markus Golden OLB

Golden registered four tackles, including a tackle for loss, one pass deflection and one interception during Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Patriots.

A QB hit from teammate Jordan Hicks left Cam Newton's pass fluttering in the air, allowing Golden to come away with a key turnover on the opening drive of the game. Golden has thus far recorded one sack in his four appearances since rejoining the Cardinals on Oct. 23 via a trade from the Giants. A Week 13 matchup against the Rams will be challenging from a pass rusher's perspective, as Los Angeles is tied for the fifth-fewest sacks surrendered per game this season (1.4).

Golden was activated off the commissioner's exempt list Saturday and has joined the Cardinals' 53-man roster, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The Cardinals traded for Golden last week, but he had a roster exemption until he cleared the COVID-19 protocols. He's been cleared and will begin preparing for the Week 9 matchup against the Dolphins. The team hopes Golden will bolster the pass rush that has taken a hit with Chandler Jones (biceps) done for the year. Golden certainly appears up to the task, as he produced 10 sacks over 16 games with the Giants in 2019.

The Cardinals have acquired Golden via trade from the Giants for a sixth-round pick, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The Cardinals selected Golden in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and he played 46 games with the team over four seasons and recorded 19 sacks and six forced fumbles. The team let him walk following the 2018 season, and he signed with the Giants and racked up 10.5 sacks through 22 games before this trade. Golden will be an immediate upgrade to Arizona's pass rush that is hurting without Chandler Jones (biceps). He played for the Giants on Thursday against the Eagles, though, so he won't be eligible to suit up with the Cardinals until after Arizona's Week 8 bye.

Golden notched one solo tackle, one sack and one quarterback hit during Thursday's 22-21 loss to the Eagles.

Golden played his usual rotational role in New York's pass rush Thursday, when he managed to emerge with his first full sack of the year. The 29-year-old has only 1.5 sacks on the season, and he's averaging less than two tackles per game, so Golden is difficult to trust for fantasy purposes in IDP leagues.

Golden (illness) was a full participant in Friday's practice, so he will play in Monday's matchup versus the Steelers, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Golden missed practice Thursday but quickly returned Friday to prepare for the season opener. The 2015 second-round pick is heading into his second season with the Giants after he played 16 games with the team last season and recorded 72 tackles and 10 sacks. The Giants defense is expected to struggle in 2020, but Golden should be a dependable pass rusher nonetheless.

Golden did not practice Thursday due to an illness, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports.

Golden will have two more opportunities to retake the practice field ahead of Monday's game against the Steelers. The 29-year-old is looking to build upon the 10-sack campaign he logged for the Giants in 2019.

Golden signed his one-year, $4.125 million unrestricted free-agent tender with the Giants on Tuesday, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The little-used tag allowed Golden to seek another employer, but because he didn't get another offer by July 22, he was required to stay with the Giants. Now locked in for the 2020 season, he's the leading returning sack artist for the team, having racked up 10 sacks in 16 games, which was the second time he reached double-digit sacks while playing a full slate. As for his other three campaigns -- when he didn't -- he combined for 6.5 sacks in 30 contests.

Golden (illness) has reported to Giants training camp, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Before he can take part in the strength and conditioning portion of camp, Golden is required to log three negative COVID-19 tests in four days, at which point he'll take a physical and sign his unrestricted free-agent tender worth $4.125 million. For his career, he has two campaigns of double-digit sacks. As for the other three, he combined for 6.5 sacks in 30 games. After going for 10 sacks last season, Golden returns to the Giants looking to lead the team in the category for a second straight season.

Golden likely will play out 2020 for the Giants under a seldom-used unrestricted free agent tender, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

The tender allows the Giants to keep Golden for $4.125 million if he doesn't sign a contract with another team before July 22 or the first day of training camp. With the Chiefs' and Texans' rookies reporting to camp Monday, the Giants believe Golden has officially missed his opportunity to sign elsewhere. If he doesn't want to sign the tender, his other option is to wait until Week 10 of the regular season to assess offers from other franchises. The 29-year-old pass rusher piled up 72 tackles, 27 QB hits and 10 sacks last season, but his 60.3 PFF grade placed 81st among 102 qualified edge rushers. NFL teams seem to believe Golden's big year was largely a product of volume, with the outside linebacker starting all 16 games and logging 82.5 percent of New York's defensive snaps. Injuries limited Golden to 15 games and 2.5 sacks between 2017 and 2018 with the Cardinals, but he did have 51 tackles and 12.5 sacks back in 2016, his second pro season.

The Giants have placed the UFA tender on Golden, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

The terms of the UFA tender dictate that Golden can only play for the Giants in 2020 if no other team opts to sign him by July 22. He notched 72 tackles (37 solo) and 10 sacks across 16 games with New York in 2019, but it remains to be seen if the team's new coaching staff wants to utilize Golden as a starter or simply a rotational pass rusher.

Golden recorded 72 tackles (37 solo) and 10 sacks across 16 contests in 2019. He also forced one fumble, which he returned for a touchdown.

Golden bounced back convincingly in his debut season with the Giants after having been held to just 2.5 sacks with the Cardinals in 2018. He also played a full slate of 16 games for the first time since 2016. It remains to be seen if the Giants will bring back the unrestricted free agent for 2020.

Golden notched four tackles (three solo) and a sack in Sunday's loss to the Bears.

Golden brought down the quarterback for the second consecutive game, moving his season total to 7.5. The 28-year-old continues to be on the IDP radar this season, racking up 47 tackles (25 solo) and a forced fumble. After playing 83 percent of defensive snaps Sunday, he'll face a tough matchup against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Week 13.

Golden recorded four tackles (two solo) and a sack in Sunday's 34-27 loss to the Jets.

The 28-year-old now has 6.5 sacks on the season through 10 games, his second best output of his career. Golden has led all Giants linebackers in snaps so far this season, proving he's solidified himself as an important component in the Giants' defense.

Golden recorded seven tackles and a sack across 53 defensive snaps in Sunday's loss to the Lions.

Golden now has 34 tackles (18 solo) on the year to go along with six sacks, which leads the team. The veteran has played in 79 percent of the defensive snaps this season and is becoming an important cog in the Giants defense during his first season in New York.

Golden had three assisted tackles, a half-sack and returned a fumble 42 yards for a touchdown in Thursday's loss to the Patriots.

Golden is enjoying a productive start to 2019 and that continued with Thursday's performance. The 28-year-old has 22 tackles (nine solo) and five sacks through six games.

Golden recorded five tackles (three solo) and a sack in Sunday's 28-10 loss to the Vikings.

The Giants deployed Golden for 63 of 71 possible defensive snaps (89 percent) in this outing, and he was able to produce with the hefty workload. Golden now has 4.5 sacks through five games, putting him on track to surpass his career high of 12.5 posted for the Cardinals in 2016.

Golden recorded two tackles and a half-sack across 30 defensive snaps in Sunday's win over Washington.

Golden now has 2.5 sacks over the past two weeks. If he continues to get after the quarterback at this rate, look for the linebacker to see his IDP value increase.

Golden recorded five tackles (three solo) and two sacks across 61 defensive snaps in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers.

Golden has now taken down the quarterback three times over the past two contests and has quickly skyrocketed to the top of the Giants' sack leaderboard. He now gets to face Washington, who has allowed six sacks so far this season.

Golden racked up six tackles (three solo) and one sack in Sunday's home loss to the Bills.

The sack was Golden's third in the past two seasons, as the veteran suited up in 68 total snaps in the game. The 28-year-old has seen snaps on defense and special teams, which adds to his IDP value, but he'll need to enhance his tackle total to warrant serious consideration. He and the Giants defense will get a great match-up against the struggling Buccaneers offense in Week 3.

Golden (hip) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Golden was limited in practice Wednesday with a hip issue. He now looks back to full health and ready to slot into the starting lineup with Kareem Martin managing a knee injury.