With Minkah Fitzpatrick excused from practice for personal reasons and Damontae Kazee missing practice with an injury, some of Pittsburgh’s other safeties had a chance to step up today, one of them being Tre Norwood. Norwood had a solid practice on Saturday and with Kazee out he got some run Sunday. Mike Tomlin addressed what the team can get out of the third-year safety and said he needs to bring more playmaking to the table.
“He’s a smart kid. His growth has been continual. Just need more playmaking from him,” Tomlin said via Steelers.com
Tomlin also praised S Kenny Robinson, who had two interceptions off Mason Rudolph during today’s practice.
“I was appreciative of the playmaking from Kenny Robinson today,” Tomlin said. “Another guy who had the opportunity to rise up because of the short lines.”
Robinson was appreciative of the shoutout from Tomlin.
“It just feels good to have praise from the head coach,” Robinson said. “Coach Tomlin knew me my whole life, so he’s watched me growing up. Just giving me the opportunity I’m thankful for that, just having his praise, just want to pay it off to him.”
He added that he feels like he “definitely” deserved the praise with his play today but knows he has to keep working hard.
The Steelers need some depth behind Fitzpatrick, Keanu Neal and Kazee, and with Kazee down, it’s a good opportunity to see who can step up and try to win a job. Robinson had a good practice today, but Norwood has more experience and more positional flexibility, as he can work in the slot as well.
He hasn’t flashed much on the playmaking side lately, as he didn’t record an interception or pass deflection in 15 games last year. As a rookie, he had one pick and four pass deflections, but in a bit of a reduced role, he wasn’t able to make a ton of plays on Pittsburgh’s defense.
He was still a contributor, but with a roster crunch, he’s a guy who has to show more if he wants to stick on the initial 53-man roster. The Steelers under Omar Khan have been all about adding as much competition as possible, and Norwood has to be a guy who show off some versatility and playmaking ability.
Right now, Robinson’s two interceptions are helping him when it comes to the playmaking aspect. While Norwood has more familiarity in Pittsburgh’s system, Robinson was a former fifth-round pick. If he keeps stringing good days together, there’s a chance he could take some of Norwood’s opportunities and end up surpassing him on the depth chart. But then again, Norwood had a good day yesterday, and if keeps that up and has a good camp, he’ll likely earn a spot over Robinson.
He just has to show more during the rest of camp and show that he can play better than he has in the past. There’s a spot on this roster for Norwood. He saw first-team safety snaps today and looked good yesterday, so if he keeps plugging along, he should be fine. Adding that playmaking aspect to his game will be crucial, though.
