Training camp is back. This time, it looks more than a little different. A new head coach, plenty of new players, and heck, even the adjacent Arnold Palmer Regional Airport has had changes: no commercial flights currently fly in or out of Latrobe with Spirit Airlines shut down.
What’s the same is us. We’re back at Steelers training camp for the 11th year, covering every practice except for the closed-off 2020 COVID year. Photographer Tim Rice and I will be at Saint Vincent College for practice to offer our notes, analysis, and photos from each day.
As always, thanks for reading, and let us know your thoughts and questions below. Let’s dive into the 2026 season and Mike McCarthy era.
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Camp Notes (Day One)
– Welcome to the Mike McCarthy era. And wow, what a difference it is. I’ll work on a separate post for later this week detailing core differences in how McCarthy operates compared to Mike Tomlin, but it is a major shift. To summarize, a lot faster tempo, more maximization of reps and time, and a different feel from how the last 19 years went.
It may have to change the format of how I write these reports, and frankly, my head is still spinning. We’ll figure it out as we go and develop a good routine.
– Now, some things were the same. The same location at Saint Vincent with the same walk across the field and onto the campus. Food stands, games, and events littered the walk-in, with the Pro Shop right behind that Mike McCarthy plugged to reporters during his Wednesday press conference.
– A quick health roundup of the group since I like to note those early. It’s the first day of camp, and the team isn’t in pads until Monday. The team is generally healthy. Pittsburgh placed three on the PUP list yesterday: CB Donte Kent, CB Joey Porter Jr., and DB Jalen Ramsey.
Kent is recovering from his December 2025 torn ACL. He’s wearing a black sleeve on his leg, so I assume it was the left knee he hurt. Early in practice, he jogged a little on the middle field as a trainer watched before throwing a towel around his neck and spectating during the rest of the day.
Ramsey didn’t wear a brace and did not walk with a limp as he made his way to practice. The fact that he walked down the stairs and the path, which is a little steep, is a positive sign for the health of the knee he injured in the spring. Even if “stairs” are exactly as intimidating as the Cincinnati Bengals’ pass game.
Offensive tackle Broderick Jones dressed and, from what I could tell, practiced in full. He worked every session of the way, including team periods.
Safety DeShon Elliott suffered a nasty knee/leg injury last year, and the team is being a little careful with him. He dressed and went through much of practice, 7 on 7 and individual work, but was held out of the team periods. He stood 25-30 yards deep behind the action as he watched the group work in front of him.
All three were on the field today. Kent and Porter were on for basically all of practice, while Ramsey walked down midway through (Porter walked down before practice began, wearing a black hoodie, but must have briefly gone back up because he walked with Ramsey with his jersey on).
– There was the standard long line of probably 100 fans deep at the top of the hill waiting to line the fence by the stairs and path the players walk down to the field. They were let in at 9:50 AM for the 11:20 AM practice, a brisk walk from the group trying to get the front spots and prime positions for autographs.
– McCarthy now holds practices in the morning, which create their own feel. A little cooler, a little less crowded in the bleachers, and an overcast day made things comfortable throughout the morning that bled into the afternoon.
– Something new. A building has been built and is situated between the near and middle fields. Multiple wooden picnic chairs lined it with big cushy chairs inside. Unsure who or what it’s for, but the campus has certainly received plenty of upgrades, most notably with the unveiling of the indoor practice facility the team will use in bad weather.
Later in the day, owner Art Rooney II stood outside of it talking to one of the monks who are familiar faces on campus.
– Six JUGs machines aligned the back of the end zone of the near field, and they were put to use before and after practice. Especially afterwards. There were plenty of JUGs machines in the past but not clumped together like today’s setup.
– Under Tomlin, there had been a play clock right underneath the bleachers facing out so players could – obviously – see it. Now, there’s one in the back of the left end zone (from the bleacher viewpoint) with the full scoreboard used for games with its own play clock and countdown timer of how long is left in each period.
For nerds like us wanting to know the setup, it’s the All Sport 5000 Control Console used to control the clocks.
– First player to take the field this year? That would be RB Travis Homer, who came down the stairs and path that leads to the field at 10:35 AM for the 11:20 AM practice. He carried his helmet and cleats and didn’t have his white No. 21 jersey on yet, but he made a beeline to a JUGs machine and hopped on it for about 10 minutes. For that time, he even took off his shoes and caught barefoot before finishing up and getting ready for practice.
A little while later, WR Roman Wilson and TE Darnell Washington jumped on the JUGs machines. Later, a host of players took their turns and showed why having six set up is smart. Not much of a wait. Receivers Germie Bernard, Brandon Smith, Joaquin Davis, Levi Wentz, A.T. Perry, cornerbacks Asante Samuel Jr., D’Shawn Jamison, and safety Robert Spears-Jennings were among the names I jotted down.
– The first in full uniforms were LB Payton Wilson, EDGE Jack Sawyer, and OL Steven Jones, who made their way down the stairs in jerseys at 10:42 AM. Like he always does, Wilson walked over to the far end of the middle field where a blocking sled was set up. Sawyer knelt for a quick prayer on the opposite end of the middle field before stretching and getting loose. Jones situated himself in the left end zone of the near field, stretching out with the help of a beige band.
– A healthy cheer for EDGE T.J. Watt, who came out of the facility and onto the field at 10:49 AM. Watt got loose by lifting his legs over two hurdles that were placed on the middle field.
– Rookie dues for K Laith Marjan. He walked down with K Chris Boswell and LS Christian Kuntz but had the task of carrying the black equipment bag with everyone’s stuff in it. No formal field goal work today, but Boswell booted a couple early in practice while Marjan kicked a handful of times on the far field throughout practice. Both off a tee, not with a holder.
– As Mike McCarthy indicated in the spring, he wants referees on the field as often as possible. A group of them, four I think, were out there today. Mike Tomlin usually had them in for only about a week of camp and not often at the beginning of it.
– As reporters noted during the spring, gone are the benches Mike Tomlin had set up for camp. Multiple of them would sit between the near and middle field for players to relax on before practice and during breaks. There’s no place to sit around now. Aaron Rodgers lay on the ground as he put his cleats on today.
– Several players wore Guardian Caps atop their helmets for practice, including rookie Gennings Dunker and EDGE Julius Welschof. Those with new-age helmets no longer need to wear them. I’m not sure if guys like Dunker and Welschof are wearing “older” models that require the Guardian Cap or if they want an added layer of protection.
– Most players wait until after practice to sign autographs, but a couple signed beforehand at the top of the stairs. Rookie S Robert Spears-Jennings and C Zach Frazier were among those who did.
– During the early moments of practice, the centers, some guards, and quarterbacks stretched in the middle of the field while the rest of the line worked in the left end zone. Wasn’t sure why they were split up at first, but it made sense a few minutes later. During the team stretch, the centers and quarterbacks were on the other side of the 50 and got in extra reps under center and in shotgun. Since they were already loosened up, they could use that time for extra work. Here are the center/quarterback pairings for those individual reps.
Aaron Rodgers/Zach Frazier
Mason Rudolph/Ryan McCollum
Will Howard/Brock Hoffman
Drew Allar/Greg Crippen
Also, Mason McCormick was part of that group and snapped to Will Howard a few times, taking a couple reps from Hoffman. That’s interesting, but it’s probably an emergency-type thing. McCormick was working center before he was drafted, and Pittsburgh even had him snap during a rare private workout/visit.
– We might already have a candidate for most random Steelers jersey of camp. Tim Rice pointed out to me a fan wearing a No. 6 Logan Woodside jersey. The journeyman quarterback spent a couple weeks in camp with the Steelers last year.
– As was the case in the spring, per reporters who attended, McCarthy doesn’t have positional coaches take the field until practice officially begins. Until then, players are either working on their own or with the Strength & Conditioning staff. Receivers/tight ends paired up and threw to each other during warmups: Max Hurleman and Robert Tonyan, A.T. Perry and Joaquin Davis, Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard, JJ Galbreath and Riley Nowakowski were some of the groupings.
– I first spotted coaches in the left corner of the near end zone by the tents that litter the back of it. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was in that area waiting to take the field.
– The horn to begin the stretch line blared at 11:09 AM, which was again led by the S&C staff. After practice, the coach/person with the megaphone called for coaches to get off the field. Which I’ve never heard before at camp. But it’s part of the team adhering to its schedule to maximize the time coaches can actually coach and be around the players. Much more buttoned up than the relaxed style Mike Tomlin went with.
– Defensive lineman Yahya Black still going without gloves. Old-school look.
– Minor points but worth noting on Day 1. Rookie TE Lake McRee wore a black sleeve on his left leg. Wide receiver Cole Burgess had the same sleeve on his left leg. McRee tore his ACL twice in college.
– One area where Mike McCarthy and Mike Tomlin align: attire. McCarthy, as Tomlin did, wore all black today. A black hoodie and long black pants. Tomlin did so as a nod to the heat of the day his players endured, though today’s cooler morning of about 70 degrees and clouds is far more tolerable.
– During the initial install period featuring just the offense, here were the first-, second-, and third-team offensive lines.
First Team
LT: Troy Fautanu
LG: Mason McCormick
C: Zach Frazier
RG: Spencer Anderson
RT: Dylan Cook
Second Team
LT: Broderick Jones
LG: Brock Hoffman
C: Ryan McCollum
RG: Steven Jones
RT: Max Iheanachor
Third Team
LT: Jack Driscoll
LG: Lorenzo Thompson
C: Greg Crippen
RG: Gennings Dunker
RT: Doug Nester
There was a bit of mixing and matching the rest of the day, Hoffman getting some center work and some first-team right guard reps over Anderson. It’s something I’ll pay more attention to in the coming days.
– As for the skill guys, Jaylen Warren took the first running back snap. Rico Dowdle replaced him on the next rep. Pittsburgh’s first two reps came out of 12 personnel with tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington on the field. DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. were the receivers. RB Kaleb Johnson filtered in on the third rep.
Under center for the first pass of the session, Rodgers completed it off play-action to WR Roman Wilson on a corner/7 route. He got the initial third receiver snap over Germie Bernard. Bernard caught Mason Rudolph’s first pass on the same route. I wouldn’t read a ton into any of this — this is all basically done on “air” — but that’s how things started.
With the defense working on the middle field, the rest of the offense plays “defense.” Wearing red and blue caps on their helmets to signal they are defenders, Aaron Rodgers roamed as a hook defender as one pass went over his head. He was pointing and calling things out after, very active and engaged.
– What’s notable here, though not surprising, is watching Mike McCarthy send in the plays to the quarterbacks through the black walkie-talkie he held just behind the quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers was the starter, followed by Mason Rudolph, followed by Will Howard, followed by Drew Allar.
– Practice featured plenty of “two-minute” timeouts. A coach with a giant megaphone (not sure if it was Steve Scarnecchia, Tim Berbenich, or someone else – that’s on my checklist for tomorrow) called out the new period during each change. These “timeouts” were mixed in and served as hydration breaks in true World Cup style. Players were reminded there was one minute left in the break before resuming practice.
– Pittsburgh’s true individual period was much shorter with McCarthy than Tomlin. It lasted about five minutes. Quarterbacks ran some routes and threw to each other with WRs coach Adam Henry taking receivers through the chutes two at a time. There was an earlier period with the receivers/quarterbacks working together that lasted three minutes.
Quarterbacks threw fade/go-balls to all kinds of players, not just wideouts. They tossed them to tight ends, running backs, even defenders. “Hold the line” was Henry’s message.
On the other side of the field, the offensive line went through run-blocking drills. The defensive line/EDGE group worked on the middle field on stack/shed drills against the blocking sled.
– “Special Teams Field One,” the coach called out to announce the one true special teams period the team went through. Focused on punting today. Cameron Johnston did all the kicking. No robot/JUGs machine was assisting. Johnston punted well, and from about his own 30-yard line, he placed two boots inside the opposing 10. One had great backspin, kicking back and rolling out of bounds at about the 5.
Wide receivers Kaden Wetjen, Roman Wilson, and Cole Burgess were the returners. Burgess bobbled and muffed one as he threw up a fair catch sign and raced in to catch a shorter punt. Wasn’t able to get under the ball, and it bounced off him.
– Gunners worked in multiple pairs. One group past midfield worked on angles/tackling technique (no going to the ground, obviously). The other gunner pair worked at the line of scrimmage, getting coached on their releases off the line.
Ben Skowronek and Brandin Echols were one downfield pairing. Here are some of the others who either worked at the LOS or downfield. This list isn’t complete, but the majority: WR Max Hurleman/CB D’Shawn Jamison, CB Daylen Everette/S Robert Spears-Jennings, and CB Daylen Everette/S Darnell Savage.
I always pay special attention to the wings and especially the upback, the quarterback of that unit. Here was the first grouping: Payton Wilson at left wing, Riley Nowakowski at right wing, and Travis Homer as the upback.
On the LOS blocking from left to right: Jack Sawyer-Nick Herbig-Christian Kuntz-Cole Holcomb-Carson Bruener.
I don’t have full second-team info but spotted Eli Heidenreich as second-team upback. Which is notable for the rook to get that chance. Something I’ll keep watching and noting in the coming days. Sebastian Castro also worked left wing here.
Special teams coordinator Danny Crossman worked with the guys at the line of scrimmage, with Christian Kuntz helping lead and get the group together. Assistant Darian Thompson, hired this summer to replace Derius Swinton II, worked with the returners and gunners down the field.
– During an individual period, a whole host of players went through ladder and ball-security drills. The running backs, of course, with new positional coach Ramon Chinyoung Sr. working on punching the ball out. But defenders like linebackers also went through this exercise.
– Defensive line coach Domata Peko looks just as big as his playing days with the Cincinnati Bengals. He’s hands-on and actively got hands on defensive linemen throughout drills. Always a fan of seeing that.
– The Steelers aren’t tackling this camp, and even if they did, it wouldn’t happen on the first day during the league’s mandated “ramp-up” period. They did rep it, though. A fun drill.
Two players start across from each other facing different directions. They run and bend around two big red bags with the defender circling back and taking an inside/out angle to touch/tackle him. I like this one a lot. Way to simulate tackling angles and finding the ball carrier late, having to adjust eyes. Can’t take a video, but here’s a photo.
– Pittsburgh wasted no time breaking in the fields. The near field quickly developed a rough patch of grass around the 50-yard line. Staffers tried to repair it on the fly, which I don’t think I’ve seen happen before mid-practice. Hopefully the new grass at Acrisure holds up better.
“Group install,” the coach yelled out for the next period, an 8-minute session. Quarterbacks continued throwing to receivers, the offensive line hit the blocking sled in tandem, and Patrick Graham worked with the defensive line. He spent time instructing rookie DL Kevin Jobity Jr.
It looked like Pittsburgh broke the d-line up into separate groups. Peko took some of them with Graham and, I think, defensive assistant Shawn Howe worked with the rest.
Later in practice, EDGE coach C.J. Ah You worked on hand usage/pass-rush moves with the outside linebackers. He was all decked out. Wearing a black hoodie pulled over his head, he wore dual red bags as sleeves on his arms to extend out for the linemen to swipe/chop/rip down. He also wore two pairs of grip pads across his chest. It was a funny sight, but it works.
– Pittsburgh went to another period that was basically “concepts.” Seven-on-seven format, no o-line or d-line, but with three offensive players out in the pattern versus three defenders. Some notes here.
– Jamel Dean broke up the first throw on a comeback from Mason Rudolph to Michael Pittman Jr.
– Roman Wilson sat down and navigated zone coverage well here.
– Cornerback Brandin Echols with a physical reroute to knock down WR Joaquin Davis during one rep.
– Drew Allar with a nifty pump fake that opened up Pat Freiermuth down the seam. (Update: I think it was Max Hurleman, not Freiermuth). But he followed that with an attempted checkdown to a covered Jaylen Warren (in fairness, there wasn’t really anything open on the play) that Cole Holcomb tipped into the air and Payton Wilson intercepted. D’Shawn Jamison and Carson Bruener had breakups right after, though I don’t have the quarterback listed.
Team Period (7 on 7)
A two-minute drill. 1:14 on the clock, two timeouts, ball about on the offense’s own 35. Aaron Rodgers at QB.
1. Rodgers throw for Pittman right side is broken up by Asante Samuel Jr., who did well to break and drive downhill.
2. Brisker and Elliott are the safeties here. Samuel and Dean at outside cornerback, Echols in the slot. Rodgers short throw complete to Roman Wilson out of bounds.
3. Roman Wilson in the slot with Metcalf and Pittman out wide. Rodgers hits Jaylen Warren out of the backfield, releasing and cutting inward left to right, making the grab against Patrick Queen.
4. Wilson sits down against zone and makes the short catch before Queen can get there. Pass from Rodgers.
5. Wilson, Pittman, and Metcalf are the receivers with Freiermuth at tight end and Warren at running back. Bernard did soon filter into this group, replacing Pittman.
Rodgers wants Wilson on a shallow cross left to right, but the throw is behind and incomplete. Think Rodgers wanted Wilson to sit it down instead of running into the next zone defender. Rodgers had a quick chat with Wilson about it after the rep.
6. Rodgers deep ball down the right sideline for Metcalf. Well-defended by Samuel, who threw his hand up to knock it away. Great rep by Samuel.
7. Rodgers looking for Bernard on a corner/7-route right sideline. The throw is well short, and Bernard never saw it. I assume Bernard ran his depth incorrectly here and was the primary reason for this uncompetitive pass. Offense turns it over on downs here.
– Mason Rudolph comes in for the same drill.
1. Kaleb Johnson in at running back. Rudolph finds Jaheim Bell on a drag route right to left.
2. Brandon Smith, Max Hurleman, Cole Burgess the receivers with Bell the tight end. Johnson still in the backfield. Think this pass was complete from Rudolph to Brandon Smith against CB Doneiko Slaughter, who worked slot and outside corner today.
3. Daylen Everette the outside left corner with Slaughter in the slot and D’Shawn Jamison on the right side. Darnell Savage and Robert Spears-Jennings at safety, Cole Holcomb and Carson Bruener at inside linebacker. Underneath completion to Max Hurleman.
4. Rudolph checks down to Johnson leaking out left side. Johnson had to reach back just a little and initially made a good snag, but Carson Bruener came downhill to close and pop it loose. Debate over incompletion versus fumble, but it was ruled incomplete. Johnson’s gotta finish that play.
5. Cleaner here for Johnson, who catches the Rudolph checkdown without issue.
6. A.T. Perry and Kaden Wetjen are the wide receivers with Robert Tonyan at tight end. Travis Homer in at running back, Jack Henderson and Robert-Spears Jennings at safety. Rudolph finds Wetjen over the middle for a short gain as Jamison collides with him, fairly softly, but Wetjen ends up going to the ground. About as much of a “tackle” as there was all day.
7. Rudolph’s deep ball for Burgess is incomplete and well-defended by rookie Daylen Everette. Burgess gave it a good effort but couldn’t make the diving catch in the back right corner.
Team Period (11 on 11)
First Session
More changes here. Pittsburgh had dual 11-on-11 periods happening at once. The starters on the near field, the backups on the middle field. That never happened under Mike Tomlin. I only watched and noted the starters closest to me, and with the quick pace and adjustment, my notes feel a little incomplete on yardage.
1. Derrick Harmon and Cam Heyward the d-tackles. Asante Samuel Jr. at left corner, subbing in for Joey Porter Jr., with Jamel Dean at right corner and Brandin Echols in the slot. Darnell Savage and Jaquan Brisker at safety. Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen at inside linebacker. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith at EDGE.
Rodgers uses a hard count that gets the defense, mainly Payton Wilson, to flinch just a little. After the snap, Rodgers uses his patented quick release to fire middle right to an open Pat Freiermuth for a 10-plus yard gain.
2. Rodgers quick smoke screen to DK Metcalf in a reduced split left side. Alex Highsmith chases as Metcalf tears off downfield.
3. Already in the “trying to read my notes” portion of camp, but I believe Rodgers again hit Freiermuth over the middle here.
4. Highsmith and Herbig the EDGEs. Perfectly placed fade pass from Rodgers to reserve WR Brandon Smith on a back-shoulder throw Smith spun for and snagged while working on Dean. Nice throw and catch.
5. Sebastian Joseph-Day at left defensive end, Yahya Black at nose tackle, and Dean Lowry at right defensive end in Pittsburgh’s base 3-4. Mason Rudolph checks in. Throw complete left side to TE Robert Tonyan for a short gain.
6. Rudolph completes to Jaheim Bell right side, the throw zipping by the closing cornerback.
7. Keeanu Benton and Derrick Harmon are the d-tackle pairing. Patrick Queen and Cole Holcomb are at inside linebacker. Rudolph finds Bell over the middle, and he makes a nice grab to reach down and grab the about knee-high pass.
8. Darnell Savage and Jack Henderson are the safety duo. Daryl Porter at LCB, Asante Samuel at RCB, Brandin Echols in the slot. Mason Rudolph, after a half roll to his right, completes to WR Germie Bernard for about 5 yards.
9. Payton Wilson and Cole Holcomb are the ILB pairing as the inside linebackers mix and match. Benton and Heyward are the d-tackles. Rodgers back in and fires short right to Roman Wilson, sitting down between defenders in zone coverage and falling to the ground at the end. A sliding/falling snag for a couple yards.
10. Joseph-Day, Benton, Heyward the base d-line trio. Herbig and Watt at EDGE, Holcomb and Wilson still at inside linebacker, and Samuel and Dean at outside corner. Brock Hoffman working left guard on this rep with the first team.
Rodgers with the same half roll right as Rudolph on play eight. Nothing there before he dumps it short to DK Metcalf along the right sideline.
11. Henderson and Brisker the safety duo. Rodgers under some pressure but eventually gets the ball out with Freiermuth making the catch.
12. On this rep, the o-line combo was: Fautanu-McCormick-Hoffman-Anderson-Cook.
Wouldn’t take Hoffman subbing in as a slight against McCormick or Frazier, but just a way to get him reps and work with the starters. Kaleb Johnson with the 1s and in the backfield with Rodgers.
Rodgers looks for Freiermuth down the left seam, but the throw clips off his hand. Jack Henderson had good coverage to squeeze the window.
Second Session
Two-minute drill again, but this wasn’t true “play after play.” The coaches gave a different situation each time so it didn’t flow like an actual drive.
1. Offensive line of Fautanu-McCormick-Frazier-Anderson-Cook. Because this is end of half/game situational stuff, Pittsburgh showed off its three OLB package. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith at their traditional EDGE spots with Nick Herbig over the ball.
Patrick Queen was the lone inside linebacker. Defensive backs were Asante Samuel Jr., Jamel Dean, Jack Henderson, Darnell Savage, and Jaquan Brisker.
Rodgers in at quarterback. Quickly fires a complete pass to an open DK Metcalf over the middle.
2. Rodgers completes a short throw left side to Rico Dowdle with Queen quickly there to apply the tag out of bounds.
3. Coaches set the clock to four seconds left and a “last play” moment. Secondary in true prevent coverage. Rodgers throws underneath to Pat Freiermuth. From there, it became a wacky play.
Freiermuth laterals to Metcalf. Who laterals to Roman Wilson. Who laterals to Rico Dowdle, who can’t secure the ball as Brandin Echols finally shuts the play down.
Second team comes in.
1. Doneiko Slaughter and Daylen Everette the outside cornerbacks with UDFA rookie Devan Boykin in the slot. Pittsburgh still in its 3-EDGE package with backups Jamin Davis and Julius Welschof at respective left/right EDGEs and Jack Sawyer over the ball in the middle.
Payton Wilson the ILB. Jack Henderson, D’Shawn Jamison, and Sebastian Castro are three of the five DBs here. Mason Rudolph completes to Robert Tonyan on the left side.
2. Will Howard steps in here. He does the same, hitting Tonyan on the left side.
3. Another last-play moment with four seconds remaining. Drew Allar checks in to sky a throw straight into the air, a Hail Mary here instead of a series of laterals. D’Shawn Jamison jumps up and nearly intercepts it in the scrum, but it’s off his hands and falls incomplete.
Third Session
Another “last play” period as the team is working on all situational stuff. No true drives. Four seconds left. Ball at the defense’s 25.
1. Pittsburgh comes out in 01 personnel, zero running backs, one tight end, and four wide receivers: DK Metcalf, Germie Bernard, Michael Pittman Jr., and Roman Wilson. Pat Freiermuth the tight end. Empty set.
Rodgers wants Metcalf left side, but Darnell Savage reads it and breaks up the pass, nearly picking it off.
2. Rodgers has nothing there initially and feels a bit of the rush. He slides left, steps up, and fires into the end zone. Wants Pat Freiermuth, but Patrick Queen is there to break it up.
3. Ball at the 15. Empty set. Darnell Washington in for Freiermuth left slot. Rodgers throws one up for Washington, but Queen does well to again get a hand on it and knock the ball backwards. Brandin Echols picks it off.
4. Mason Rudolph subs in. Downfield throw is out of the back of the end zone, TE Robert Tonyan the closest to it in the area.
5. O-line of Broderick Jones-Brock Hoffman-Ryan McCollum-Steven Jones-Max Iheanachor. Will Howard in at QB. Looks for A.T. Perry on a dig route at the goal line. Perry turns his head around late, and the throw is a little low (though it wasn’t a bad ball), and the pass hits incomplete.
6. Perry and Smith the receivers out wide with Hurleman and Burgess in the slot. Drew Allar ends the day on a high note, hitting Tonyan down the right seam against Cole Holcomb. Nice throw.
– The final horn sounded at 12:47 PM with the 91-man group gathering for a few moments before breaking down the huddle. There were plenty of guys working post-practice, too.
– The EDGE group worked on pass rush moves.
– Doneiko Slaughter and Jaquan Brisker ran gassers on the near field. As did Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen on the middle field.
– Pat Freiermuth kept his helmet on to catch a couple passes while Max Hurleman ran full routes with Mason Rudolph throwing to him. Drew Allar and Ben Skowronek did a little extra throwing/catching, too, but Skowronek wasn’t running full routes.
– JJ Galbreath and Lake McRee tossed the ball around a little bit.
– Most of the offensive linemen hung around and did extra work. Troy Fautanu got in extra pass sets. Lots of extra center reps for Ryan McCollum, first working with Greg Crippen and Zach Frazier and then working with Brock Hoffman in the near field left end zone.
– Tons of players lined up for the JUGs machines, too.
Camp Recap (TL;DR)
– There is, obviously, a lot of info here, and I’m still trying to turn it all into something coherent. That will take a little bit of time after a decade-plus knowing the flow and pace of a Mike Tomlin practice.
– I don’t necessarily have a ton of bombastic Day 1 headlines. It is the first day, and there’s a long way to go. A couple of thoughts, though.
– During the first install early in practice, it was clear Pittsburgh was under center a lot. With play-action off it. I’m sure different days will emphasize different groupings and formations, but I think we’ll see the Steelers under center a lot given Mike McCarthy’s West Coast roots.
– In terms of “standouts” of the day, I’d have to go to CB Asante Samuel Jr. and ILB Patrick Queen with their multiple breakups. Defense certainly won the day with the offense struggling to complete much of anything behind 5-10 yards.
– Roman Wilson flashed plus moments of sitting down versus zone early in practice. But later in the day, he and Bernard weren’t on the same page with Aaron Rodgers. Work in progress there. I’d say Wilson is working over Bernard out of the gate, but that isn’t surprising given Bernard’s rookie status. Nor does it mean anything is set in stone.
– Don’t have a particular impression of the young quarterbacks Will Howard and Drew Allar. Not a ton of reps for either today. Allar was a little up and down with a couple of good throws and others that made him look like the developmental project he is. We’ll see how they learn and start stacking practices. That’s what is key.
– Good to see Broderick Jones working in full. Let’s see if he’s doing the same Monday when the pads come on and contact ramps up. We’re also getting a feel for Mike McCarthy’s preference of rotating linemen early, doing so with Brock Hoffman throughout the day.
– Don’t have the exact stats, but felt like Aaron Rodgers targeted Pat Freiermuth plenty today. Hopefully a sign of things to come. Rodgers basically pleaded through the media for Freiermuth to get more playing time last year.
– Didn’t see much of Eli Heidenreich or Kaden Wetjen at their offensive positions, running back and wide receiver, but both were visible on special teams.
– Looks like Sebastian Joseph-Day will play defensive end, not nose tackle, but we’ll keep watching. At inside linebacker, it felt like a good rotation with Wilson and Holcomb, but I need more evaluation on that end, too.
– The three defensive backs on the PUP list plus Elliott being limited are creating elevated and/or more chances for some others. Darnell Savage in particular at safety and D’Shawn Jamison at cornerback.
Also, at first blush, it looks like Robert Spears-Jennings is ahead of Sebastian Castro. Jack Henderson also seemed to get more reps than Castro today.
Saint Vincent Snapshot
The aforementioned barefoot Travis Homer, the first player to hit the field today.
Tallest Players In Steelers History
Highlighting the tallest players who have played for the franchise.
TE Matt Kranchick, OL Dan Fike, OL Jeff Lucas, OL Randy Rasmussen, OL Glen Howe
We’ll begin with the “unverified 6-7” club. The above five are listed at 6-7 but lack official measurements to know their true heights, so I’m lumping them together to kick us off.
Fike, Howe, and Lucas had just cups of coffee with the team. Howe had two games and Fike and Lucas three apiece, with Lucas seeing action during the ’87 strike.
Rasmussen shared the same name as the longtime Jets guard and played for the Steelers from 1984-1986. He made 31 career appearances with three starts. Kranchick is the most recent name and only non-offensive lineman, a reserve tight end in the mid-2000s. Released midway through 2005, he didn’t get to win a Super Bowl with that year’s squad.
Soundtrack Of Camp
A song I listened to during my trip to or from Latrobe.
Real Love Baby (Church Sessions) – The Heavy Heavy
Fred Rogers Quote Of The Day
“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.”
Alex Kozora
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