The Pittsburgh Steelers held their second training camp practice of on Friday at Saint Vincent Collège in Latrobe, Pa., and as usual, head coach Mike Tomlin updated the overall health of the team after the session ended.
Tomlin said wide receiver Diontae Johnson, tight end/fullback Connor Heyward and defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal all missed some periods of the Friday session due to heat-related issues. Johnson, as earlier reported on Friday, was carted off the field due to his heat-related issue.
It’s hot and humid in Latrobe for the start of training camp and Tomlin indicated after Friday’s practice that he doesn’t mind that at all.
“Man, really good day today. Love the heat and I mean it,” Tomlin said via transcript provided by the team. “It’s uncomfortable, but it aids in development, individually and collectively. Guys get an opportunity to develop and display conditioning. The atmosphere is challenging from an assignment standpoint in terms of staying wired in through fatigue and being able to execute, whether it’s assignments or fine motor skills.
“It’s just a really good environment for us to get to know them, for them to get to know themselves and in a really challenging way. The flip side of that though is we gotta really be professional. Take care of our bodies, hydrate, keep this group up because availability is also a really big component of improving.”
After dealing with heat-related issues on Thursday, tight end Rodney Williams was back at practice Friday, according to our own Alex Kozora. Additionally, the Steelers continue to hold safety Minkah Fitzpatrick out of practice. Whatever he is dealing with at the start of training camp is not thought to be serious, especially with him not being placed on the PUP list on Wednesday.
The Steelers’ next training camp practice, their third one of 2023, will take place on Saturday.
