Guess what, folks. It’s training camp time. And that means it’s time for training camp questions. For the first time since 2019, the Pittsburgh Steelers are actually back at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe after having been forced to remain in Pittsburgh, where they held their past two training camps inside of the Field Formerly Known as Heinz.
Even though the Steelers are back on very familiar ground, more specifically on that of Chuck Noll Field, this is a training camp that is unusually full of certainty. After all, they haven’t had a genuine quarterback battle in a couple of decades, but they have one now with Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, and Mason Rudolph.
We’ve got yet another new offensive line, with some incoming veterans in James Daniels and Mason Cole. Myles Jack is in at inside linebacker, replacing Joe Schobert, and we’ll have to see if Devin Bush can return to form after last year’s dismal display.
There’s still so much going on, and training camp will only create more questions as we go along, even as it starts to provide some answers. We’ll be covering them here on a daily basis for the community to “talk amongst yourselves”, as Linda Richman might say on Coffee Talk.
Question: What is your biggest takeaway for the Steelers’ first week of training camp practices?
The Steelers are back in Latrobe for the first time in three years. And they are there for the first time without a known starting quarterback in far longer. As such, the quarterback competition is necessarily going to take center stage, or at least share the center, in any list of observations.
But there are a lot of things to take away from what we’ve seen thus far through four practices, even if those things must be taken with a liberal grain of salt or two. For instance, yesterday morning, I wondered if Kenny Pickett would have to ‘earn’ first-team reps, and opportunities in situational drills. He didn’t really do anything to ‘earn’ it over the first three practices, but he got some work anyway.
Likely one of the biggest storylines many are focusing on is the rapid emergence of George Pickens, the team’s second-round pick, who is beginning to make impressive catches look routine. But it’s not the first time we’ve seen impressive catches in Latrobe, so pumping the brakes is never a bad idea.
T.J. Watt looks like T.J. Watt, but the offensive line—albeit not yet in pads—hasn’t given strong indications of improvement from last year. That’s no doubt going to be a point of focus this week when they resume practice.
What are your biggest takeaways from what you’ve gathered from training camp thus far, whether that’s through our coverage, the coverage of others, or even your own eyes, having been to training camp yourself? Share them here as we get an opportunity to take a breather, the Steelers enjoying a Sunday off before smacking each other senseless Monday afternoon.
