Training Camp Primer: All You Need To Know With Steelers Convening In Latrobe

By Scott Brown

Posted on July 26, 2023 at 8:02 am

Training camp is here and not a moment too soon. How much more Kenny Pickett speculation or lists of where T.J. Watt ranks among NFL pass rushers can we endure? All of that is over with the Steelers reporting to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe today. Camp will start with a late-afternoon conditioning test for all 90 players — only those deemed not healthy enough are exempt from the run — and the first of 14 open practices will be held Thursday at Chuck Noll Field.

As usual, we will have you covered every step of the way. Alex Kozora will be at every practice covering everything — and I mean everything — that happens. His reports are a signature of this site. So detailed are they that by the time you finish reading them, you will feel like you were sitting next to Alex at practice.

He and Dave Bryan will keep you caught up with camp happenings through The Terrible Podcast. Our stable of writers will produce copy around the clock and also features such as The Terrible Take and The Depot 180. In other words, camp will be no different than the rest of the year.

What follows is a camp preview, one filled with schedules, storylines and all things Steelers.

If you attend

Below are the practices that are open to the public. All are at Saint Vincent College and start at 1:55 p.m. unless otherwise noted:

Thursday July 27
Friday July 28
Saturday July 29
Sunday July 30
Tuesday August 1
Wednesday August 2
Thursday August 3
Friday August 4 (Latrobe Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m.)
Saturday August 5
Sunday August 6
Tuesday August 8
Wednesday August 9
Sunday August 13
Tuesday August 15

Preseason games

August 11 7:00 p.m. at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
August 19 6:30 p.m. vs. Buffalo Bills
August 24 7:30 p.m. at Atlanta Falcons

A cut above

We are a long way from the Steelers setting their 53-man roster. A handful of our staffers took what will be the first of several cracks at predicting who will be on the roster after all of the cuts are made. Due to a change this year, NFL teams only have one cutdown date, that being the final one on Aug. 29 when they have to pare their rosters to 53 players. These projections are sure to change, fluid as they are with so much still ahead.

— Bryan has 10 offensive linemen making the 53-man roster though not a recent high-round draft pick.

— Josh Carney predicted in late June that two undrafted rookies will be among the Steelers’ final 53.

— Kozora also has two undrafted rookies making the team, one on each side of the ball.

— Matthew Marczi doesn’t jump the gun on a player who fell out of favor last season when making his initial prediction.

Kamp Kenny

Pickett enters camp as the unquestioned leader of the offense, fresh off a full offseason as the Steelers’ starting quarterback. For all the additions the Steelers made to bolster their roster, let’s be honest: they will go only as far as Pickett takes them this season. One positive for Pickett and the Steelers is there won’t be much to distract them at camp. OLB Alex Highsmith signed a contract extension earlier this week, and yesterday the Steelers reportedly agreed to a four-year deal with second-round draft pick Joey Porter Jr. The rangy cornerback from Penn State was the last of the team’s 2023 draft picks to come to terms.

Is the future now?

Incumbent left tackle Dan Moore Jr. will try to fend off rookie first-round pick Broderick Jones for the starting job. Kozora takes a closer look at the most anticipated battle of camp. Other on-field storylines to watch include how the Steelers address the void at nickel cornerback and whether free-agent signees Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts can stabilize inside linebacker. Bryan highlights one storyline off the field to watch.

Fingers crossed

Jonathan Heitritter provides a list of what fans should be hoping to see at camp, and it includes more than just the Steelers staying healthy. One thing Kozora would love to see: the defensive backs coming together and playing well enough to overcome the free agent loss of CB Cam Sutton’s versatility and playmaking on the back end of the defense.

Among the questions Joe Clark wants to see answered is how the Steelers plan to use rookie tight end Darnell Washington, especially with them poised to employ a run-centric attack this season.

Ready to roll

Workhorse and serviceable are among the words most associated with RB Najeh Harris. Despite back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons to start his NFL career, he is generally not viewed as a top-tier back or even a difference maker at his position. That changes this season, Joe Cammarota predicts. More than a few people are hoping to cash in on that happening.

Don’t forget about these guys

Carney cites players on offense and defense who enter camp a bit under the radar but intrigue him. Offensively, he writes, guard Nate Herbig only makes the offensive line stronger if the free-agent signee can provide quality depth and versatility. Defensively, he writes, safety Tre Norwood, has to prove he is the player who showed promise as a rookie in 2021, not the one who took a noticeable step back last season.

Players who need to open eyes

Marczi looks at longshots to make the team on both sides of the ball. On offense, he writes, wide receiver Hakeem Butler has to do more than just look the part if he wants to stick with the Steelers. Defensively, he writes, undrafted rookie David Perales will need to play well — and show special teams ability — to push his way into the discussion at outside linebacker.

The roster top to bottom

Bryan took a comprehensive look at every player on the 90-man offseason roster and the outlook for each heading into camp. He ended the series yesterday with the final three players on the roster alphabetically: CB Chris Wilcox, OT Jarrid Williams, and TE Rodney Williams. Below are the links to all the other players, so dig in.

Steelers Depot