Now that the 2020 training camp has begun, following a second consecutive season in which they failed to even reach the playoffs, it’s time to take stock of where the Pittsburgh Steelers stand. Specifically where Steelers players stand individually based on what we have seen happen over the course of the past season, and with notice to anything that happens going forward.
A stock evaluation can take a couple of different approaches and I’ll try to make clear my reasonings. In some cases it will be based on more long-term trends, such as an accumulation of offseason activity. In other instances it will be a direct response to something that just happened. So we can see a player more than once over the course of the summer as we move forward.
Player: DE Chris Wormley
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The veteran defensive end has seemingly finally gotten over the shoulder injury that has kept him sidelined for a good deal of training camp as he prepares to have a role in the Steelers’ line rotation in 2020.
It’s nice to be able to talk about Wormley in a positive fashion in this series after the fourth-year player experienced what has been no doubt a frustrating training camp. A shoulder injury kept him out of early pads work, and then he only briefly returned before apparently reaggravating it, leaving him standing on the sidelines observing rather than getting the physical reps that he needs.
Jerry Olsavsky earlier estimated that teams take about 2000 reps during Spring workouts. That’s 2000 reps that Wormley already missed out on just because of the conditions of this offseason that prevented teams from holding OTAs and minicamp in May and June.
To have injuries force him to miss a good chunk of what precious little time the team had for training camp was surely frustrating, and team comments even acknowledged that it’s an impediment for him because they’re still figuring out who he is as a player and where he fits.
This could have an effect on his playing time in the early goings. They may give more snaps to Tyson Alualu at end. They may even dress and play Isaiah Buggs, who from appearances seems to have had a quietly successful camp for himself heading into year two.
All of that remains to be seen, of course, but now that he himself is back in pads, what he does on the field will pretty much determine what will be asked of him. If he looks like he is up to speed and ready to go, then I’m sure the coaching staff will give him that opportunity.
Which is a big deal, if you recall the fact that he will be an unrestricted free agent after this season. He’ll want to try to get as many snaps as he possibly can to show potential suitors what he brings to the table.
