With free agency rolling, the Steelers made several roster moves, including releasing veterans William Gay, Robert Golden and Mike Mitchell.
Gay has played 11 seasons in the NFL, 10 of them with the Steelers, the team that selected him in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
He left the Steelers for one season, signing with the Arizona Cardinals in 2012, but returned for the 2013 season and has been a part of the secondary since then.
Durability has been a strong point for Gay, playing in every game in his 11 seasons, 176 total. He has the longest current streak of games played in the NFL among defensive players.
Gay has 544 career tackles, seven sacks, 13 interceptions, 87 pass defenses, 10 forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. His Steelers stats include 487 tackles, six sacks, 11 interceptions, 81 pass defenses, seven forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He is tied for the team lead with five of his interceptions returned for touchdowns.
Golden was signed by the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2012, and has spent the last six years in the black and gold. He was entering the final year of a three-year contract he signed in 2016.
Golden played in 92 career games, starting 12. He had 89 total tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He played in all 16 games in 2017, starting two, and finished with 15 tackles and an interception. Golden saw the majority of his playing time on special teams, where he had 35 tackles, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He also completed two passes on fake punts.
Mitchell, who has played nine seasons in the NFL, was entering the final year of a five-year contract.
Mitchell originally signed with the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent in 2014. He played in 61 games for the black and gold, starting all of them. Mitchell had four interceptions, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 23 passes defensed during his time with the Steelers, while also tallying 281 total tackles.
Prior to joining the Steelers, Mitchell played four seasons for the Oakland Raiders and one with the Carolina Panthers, and has 10 career interceptions.
For a full breakdown of the cornerback position, read Steelers-by-Position: Cornerbacks.
For a full breakdown of the safety position, read Steelers-by-Position: Safeties.
