The Pittsburgh Steelers were back on the field Thursday for their seventh training camp practice. They’re at the midway point of their longest stretch, finishing up the third of six-straight practices. Let’s talk about it.
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Camp Notes (Day Seven)
– Lighter day of practice today, as is typical for this time of year. Pittsburgh practiced in shells, which meant no tackling, with several vets getting the day off. They’ll ramp things up tomorrow night for Friday Night Lights.
– Injury roundup: Not practicing today were DL Cam Heyward (rest), OLB T.J. Watt (rest), CB Patrick Peterson (rest), OG Isaac Seumalo (rest), WR Diontae Johnson (rest), WR Allen Robinson II (rest), FS Minkah Fitzpatrick (personal – not on the field), S Damontae Kazee (left ankle), S Keanu Neal (unknown), and DL/EDGE DeMarvin Leal (left ankle). Leal walked around fine but had an ACE bandage wrap on his left ankle underneath his black pant leg. Don’t know what is wrong with Neal but visibly, he looked fine. Walked around the practice field throughout the day.
LB Elandon Roberts was limited and did not work in the team periods.
RB John Lovett practiced after missing yesterday for an unknown reason.
– CB Joey Porter Jr. first one down the stairs at 1:21 PM. Hopped on the JUGS machine for a bit. S Miles Killebrew followed with CB Luq Barcoo third. DB Coach Grady Brown spoke with Barcoo for a moment after getting on the JUGS machine.
– There’s been a really strong crowd watching practice all camp. The lightest crowd, oddly enough, was the first day. But it’s been packed every day since, even during weekdays. Should be jammed again for the first Friday Night Light practice since 2019.
– Rookie RB Darius Hagans, after fumbling three times over the previous two days, carried a football down the stairs today. The Jaylen Warren treatment. Even when he went to grab a Gatorade bottle from the cooler on the field, he had to do it with just his right arm as his left carried the ball. He did not fumble today.
– Referees on hand again. Imagine they’ll be here through at least tomorrow.
– Rookie OT Spencer Anderson taking a couple of extra pass sets before practice got started. A former high school quarterback, TE Zach Gentry took one snap from center Mason Cole to give him the rep. Gentry and Killebrew were interacting with fans in the VIP spots along the sideline and in the crowd, Gentry playing catch with a fan and Killebrew jokingly asked a child if he wanted his helmet to go in and take a rep. With how short the team is at safety, that kid might have to.
– First-team offensive line in warmups: Dan Moore Jr.-Kevin Dotson-Mason Cole-James Daniels-Chukwuma Okorafor. NateHerbig and Dotson would rotate with the ones throughout practice for the rested Seumalo.
– Second-team OL in warmups: Broderick Jones-Ryan McCollum-Nate Herbig-William Dunkle-Le’Raven Clark.
No true third “team” but Kendrick Green was at center, Dylan Cook at left tackle, and Anderson at right tackle as they went through the paces.
– Return line in the early going of practice: Calvin Austin III, Jordan Byrd, and Gunner Olszewski. Cody White got a late rep in there as did WR Ja’Marcus Bradley.
– In drills, the quarterbacks and running backs went through pistol alignments and handoffs. The tight ends worked on defeating low tackles with stiff-arms and mini-jumps, TE Coach Alfredo Roberts having a football with a guardian cap attached to a stick to be the “tackler” as the tight ends pushed it down and hopped overtop.
First Team Session (11 v 11)
1. Seven shots. O-line of: Moore-Herbig-Cole-Daniels-Okorafor. Kenny Robinson and Tre Norwood the starting safeties. Mark Robinson and Cole Holcomb the inside linebackers. Joey Porter Jr., Levi Wallace, and Elijah Riley the corners, Riley in the slot. Larry Ogunjobi and Montravius Adams the defensive tackle pairing.
George Pickens and Cody White the outside receivers with Calvin Austin III aligned in the slot. Kenny Pickett and Najee Harris in the backfield. Pickett looks left and fires but Alex Highsmith times his jump and knocks it down at the line of scrimmage.
2. Empty initially with Harris motioning in. Pickett climbs and hitches up in the pocket, rolls left, and hits Pickens for the touchdown along the left side.
3. Nick Herbig in at left outside linebacker with T.J. Watt getting the day off. TE Pat Freiermuth stick route to the right side and Pickett looks for him but Tre Norwood does well to break it up and knock it away incomplete.
4. Okorafor comes out a play early to get Dan Moore Jr. a rep at right tackle and Broderick Jones at left tackle. Pickett looks for Austin on a slant on the right side. Nice defensive rep from CB Chris Wilcox, who breaks it up as the two go to the ground. Defense dominating again.
5. Mitch Trubisky comes in at quarterback. Jaylen Warren at running back. Nothing there initially for Trubisky and he lobs a floater in the back right side of the end zone for WR Ja’Marcus Bradley. Kenny Robinson shows off his leaping ability and high points to disrupt and force the incompletion, though the refs did throw a flag on him. Still, I’m giving this to the defense.
6. Nate Herbig in at center, Jones in at left tackle. Darius Hagans in the backfield. Pass thrown left side, but a sea of bodies made it hard for me to get a read on. Think the ball was tipped. But it was incomplete.
7. Last rep. LB Tanner Muse walks out on the back in the Steelers’ empty set. Elijah Riley blitzes from the offense’s right side. Trubisky has Hakeem Butler on a slant but the pass is a bit behind, Butler having to reach back for it. It clips off his hands and falls incomplete. Could’ve been a great catch but off the mark from Trubisky.
Defense with another great session in seven shots, winning 6-1. Don’t see outcomes like this too often but a clear win by the defense with the secondary making plays.
– Don’t chart the 2v2 coverage drills like I do the 1v1 but a couple of quick notes.
WR Dan Chisena and WR Dez Fitzpatrick had drops here.
CB James Pierre had a nice breakup.
WR Hakeem Butler and CB Joey Porter Jr. had a great rep on a goal-line fade, both reaching the ball at its highest point and wrestling for it on the way down, neither wanting to relent and let go. I’m giving the win to Porter here.
Second Team Session
1. Ball on the offense’s 16. Offensive line of Moore-Herbig-Cole-Daniels-Okorafor. Ogunjobi and Adams the defensive tackle pairing. Markus Golden and Alex Highsmith the outside linebackers. Robinson and Norwood the safeties. Robinson and Holcomb the inside linebackers. Porter and Wallace the outside corners with Riley in the slot.
Run play. Najee Harris cuts but gets upended and falls in this non-tackling drill. No gain. Looked like Ogunjobi had a good run stuff here. Just want everyone to stay on their feet.
2. Base defensive line trio of Ogunjobi-Adams-Loudermilk. Calvin Austin III and Cody White stacked left before Austin goes in motion across on the right. Pickett play-action and rolls left. Connor Heyward is wide open for a gain of 9 before Norwood tags him.
3. David Perales and Nick Herbig the second-team outside linebacker pairing. Pickett under center. Toss left to Harris. Mark Robinson knifes in after George Pickens couldn’t sustain his crackback block. Call it a gain of 3 as Harris finishes his run, jogging downfield to the goal line before turning around.
4. Keeanu Benton and Isaiahh Loudermilk the defensive tackle pairing. Kevin Dotson in at left guard. Jaylen Warren the running back. He gets the inside zone carry with LB Cole Holcomb meeting him in the hole for 2. Mike Tomlin unhappy with Chukwuma Okorafor for a missed/failed block somewhere. Believe he said something to Chuks to the effect of “Clean that shit up” as Okorafor walked to the sideline when the ones came out.
5. Second-team offensive line of Jones-Dunkle-Herbig-Dotson-Clark. A rep at right guard for Dotson. Benton and Armon Watts the defensive tackle grouping with Chris Wilcox and James Pierre the outside corners. Anthony McFarland Jr. gets the carry left for 4 yards. Watts held his gap decently while Milles Killebrew filled the alley.
6. Newly signed S Trenton Thompson opposite of Killebrew. Chris Wilcox and James Pierre the outside corners with Chandon Sullivan aligned in the slot. Gunner Olszewski on the jet sweep and we’ll call it a gain of 8 before Thompson tags him. Jaylen Warren showing effort, running with Olszewski 70 yards into the end zone to finish the rep.
7. Ryan McCollum in at left guard. Mitch Trubisky in under center. McFarland gets toss left. Again, it’s Killebrew who screams in and would’ve popped McFarland had there been tackling. There was a good initial hole and I’ll give McFarland 5.
8. Darius Hagans gets the carry right side. Well-blocked and we’ll mark him down for 6 with CB Chris Wilcox having to tag him up.
9. Thompson and Norwood at safety, CB Duke Dawson in the slot. Mason Rudolph in at quarterback. Hagans carry left side. Looks like a Dart run with the backside tackle Spencer Anderson pulling across and meeting Nick Kwiatkoski. Testing Anderson’s athleticism. Nice hole and I’ll make it another run for 6.
10. Herbig in at center. Greg Bell gets a carry up the middle for 2 before DL Manny Jones touches him.
11. Kendrick Green in at center. The o-line: Cook-Dunkle-Green-McCollum-Anderson. Stretch run to the right with Bell on the carry. Only a gain of 1. Coaches happy with rookie EDGE Toby Nduwke setting the edge from his left outside linebacker spot after getting pancaked yesterday. “There you go, Toby!” one of the coaches/players called out to him.
12. Pass play to end things. Rudolph complete to Dez Fitzpatrick right side for a gain of 16 yards against CB Madre Harper. Tanner Muse runs into the back of him, maybe stepping on his foot. Fitzpatrick falls down but secures the football.
– Quick special teams session notes.
Calvin Austin III, Gunner Olszewski, and Jordan Byrd getting the majority of the punt return reps. Ja’Marcus Bradley received one late.
Some of the gunners included WR Hakeem Butler, S Trenton Thompson, and CB Chris Wilcox. Wilcox got chewed up by the double-vice (the blockers), which included James Pierre. Wilcox never got downfield and was bottled up. Pierre got a high-five from Miles Killebrew as he walked back to the rest of the group.
Third Team Session
1. Ball at the offense’s 11. Alex Highsmith and Levi Wallace a little warmup dance before getting into position. Offensive line of Moore-Herbig-Cole-Daniels-Okorafor. Robinson and Norwood the safeties. Robinson and Holcomb the inside linebackers. Ogunjobi and Adams the defensive tackles. Anthony McFarland Jr. the running back. Kenny Pickett the quarterback.
Pickett fires left but the pass is a little high and off the mark for George Pickens, who threw up his right hand for the ball but it hit off it. More miss on Pickett than it was Pickens failing to make the play. Wallace in coverage.
2. They go right back at it. Slightly different route but this time, Pickett is complete to Pickens against Wallace, who is unable to rip the ball out. Gain of 9.
3. Porter and Wallace the outside corners. Calvin Austin III in the slot for the offense with Cody White and Pickens on the outside. Pickett hits the checkdown to TE Zach Gentry for 4, Elijah Riley thudding him to stop the play.
4. Armon Watts and Keeanu Benton the defensive tackles. Darnell Washington the Y tight end. Defensive line stunt with Pickett hitting Fitzpatrick on an out route along the right side. Have it as a gain of 15.
5. Sullivan in the slot. Chapelle Russell and Kwon Alexander the inside linebacker duo. Mitch Trubisky comes in at quarterback. Looks for Miles Boykin running a curl/comeback along the right sideline. He makes a nice full extension catch outside his frame, but the refs rule he couldn’t tap his feet in and it’s incomplete. Wilcox covering and helped shove him out.
6. Sullivan and Pierre the outside corners, Sullivan in the slot. Gunner Olszewski slot right. Shallow cross from Trubisky to Boykin for only a gain of 4, Pierre trailing and tagging. “Ball search” the defense calls out, a reminder to try to force a fumble.
7. Armon Watts and Manny Jones the defensive tackle pairing. David Perales and Toby Nduwke the outside linebackers. Kwon Alexander and Chapelle Russell the inside linebackers. Miles Killebrew and Trenton Thompson the safeties. Killebrew blitzes free up the B gap, causing Trubisky to hit McFarland hot in the right flat. Makes the catch for a gain of 5, Russell on the tag.
8. McFarland split out slot left, Pony set with Jaylen Warren the deep back. Hakeem Butler the X-receiver. Trubisky goes through his progressions and hits McFarland left sideline for a gain of 14. RB Coach Eddie Faulkner gives a tap of encouragement as McFarland jogs back to the sideline.
9. Mason Rudolph enters. Tanner Muse and Nick Kwiatkoski the inside linebackers. Madre Harper in at left cornerback. Rudolph complete to seldom-targeted WR Dan Chisena along the right sideline for about 13 yards. He makes the catch but Harper “ball searches,” as his teammates just called out, and forces the fumble, the ball rolling out of bounds. Nice finish here from the long-armed Harper, nearly 34-inch vines for arms.
10. Rudolph looks for Bradley on a 7 route down the right side. But Rudolph short arms it and the pass falls about 3 yards shy of Bradley and incomplete with the receiver having no chance to make a play on the ball. Bad throw.
11. Rudolph complete in the right flat to TE Rodney Williams for 4 yards. Duke Dawson on the tag. Williams left his feet to make this grab and didn’t need to, which limits YAC.
12. Rudolph fires deep for Chisena, the middle of the field wide open. But Madre Harper runs step for step with him downfield. Chisena has it in his hands for a second but Harper is able to play through the hands and and bat the ball up and out of Chisena’s hands and incomplete. Two strong plays from Harper this team period.
Fourth Team Session
1. Line of scrimmage the offense’s own 44. Kenny Pickett on the hard count. Mark Robinson blitzes and Pickett looks for Pickens on a crosser. Tre Norwood breaks it up and knocks Pickens down as his defensive teammates hype him up.
2. Pickett complete on a shallow cross to WR Cody White. Elijah Riley covering.
3. Benton and Watts the defensive tackles. A true 4-3 front of Herbig, Benton, Watts, and Isaiahh Loudermilk. Pickett complete to Gunner Olszewski on a curl over the middle for 14 yards.
4. Alexander and Russell the inside linebackers. Wilcox and Pierre the outside corners. Sullivan in the nickel. Here, it’s Herbig at left outside linebacker with Loudermilk legitimately standing up as a right outside linebacker.
Pass complete to Connor Heyward, who makes the grab for 16. But he loses it at the end — unsure of who knocked it out — and the defense recovers the fumble. Mike Tomlin chirps TE Coach Alfredo Roberts to coach his guys up better. “Keep the ball off the ground, Fredo!” he yells out to Roberts standing on the sideline.
5. I’m not sure what this offensive play call was. Looked like a running back screen but if it was, it was a mess. Steelers in midseason form, clearly. Regardless, Trubisky tucks and runs here.
6. Trubisky looks for the C2 hole shot to WR Dez Fitzpatrick along the left side. But CB James Pierre does well to get depth and lay out to knock the ball away. Incomplete.
7. Trubisky checkdown to TE Zach Gentry for just 5 yards. Killebrew first defender there.
8. Rudolph in at quarterback. Bunch right. Hits McFarland quickly running a wheel for 6 yards, Kwiatkoski having the angle on him to the left sideline.
9. Offensive line of Cook-Dunkle-Green-McCollum-Anderson. Hakeem Butler the Z receiver. Haven’t really seen him in the slot this summer. Washington the Y tight end. Nice curl route by Miles Boykin to shake Madre Harper, creating space at the top of the route for a pickup of 11.
10. Rudolph complete on a cross to Bradley for about 5 yards on Harper. Nice seal upfield by Spencer Anderson.
11. Chisena saves some face, making a nice toe-tapping catch along the left sideline on a well-thrown ball by Rudolph. Gain of 18. Late in the rush, OLB Toby Nduwke dips under Anderson nicely at the top.
– During 7 on 7, OL Coach Pat Meyer had the whole offensive line around him in a semi-circle as he instructed them over something. He’s a teacher and though he lacks the on-field credentials, has a Munchak feel and personality. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working.
– One note from 7 on 7. Nice coaching from OLB Coach Denzel Martin. On one rep, Nduwke, dropping into coverage but didn’t get enough depth. A few plays later, Nduwke did better to get depth on his hook/curl zone drop and then drove on Connor Heyward in the flat to make the tag.
An excited Martin coming over to Ndukwe. “Take away all this shit,” he said as he motioned behind him, implying that Nduwke took away anything vertical in his zone and forced the throw to the flat.
– The 7 on 7 was relatively uneventful with Kenny Pickett hitting a lot of checkdowns.
– WR Hakeem Butler dropped a pass on a dig route that should’ve easily been caught. “Routine plays routinely,” Tomlin yelled out to Butler. Interesting moment here though. Tomlin was talking at Diontae Johnson about the need to make these plays. Johnson then walked over to Butler along the sideline and seemingly relayed the message before dapping him up as a word of encouragement. In essence, Tomlin relayed the initial message but then had Johnson explain to Butler as well to hear it coach to player and player to player.
Fifth Team Session (2-Minute)
1. The first two-minute drill of camp. Offense has the ball on their own 35 with Mike Tomlin providing them one timeout. Kenny Pickett and the starters kick things off. No Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren in the backfield. Porter and Wallace the outside corners. Pickett begins things by hitting WR Gunner Olszewski over the middle for a 5-yard curl.
2. They hurry to the line for the next snap. But RT Chukwuma Okorafor is flagged for a false start and backs the offense up to where it began, the 35. Okorafor stays in.
3. Pickett tucks and runs for a 7-yard gain.
4. Checkdown to Warren to midfield, a gain of 8.
5. Pickett with some serious zip on the football to fit this pass between Tre Norwood and Elijah Riley. Norwood broke hard and nearly picked it off. Low throw but the only place Pickett could put it. Pat Freiermuth couldn’t hang on, the pass ruled incomplete.
6. Second down. “Don’t let them get to the sideline,” Cameron Heyward yells out. Pickett looks for Cody White on a curl/comeback but Joey Porter – following instructions – doesn’t allow the sideline throw. He drives on the ball and makes a great diving interception off Pickett. Great, great play, and the first-team defense wins here.
The second team comes in, quarterbacked by Mitch Trubisky.
1. Same scenario. Ball at the offense’s 35, one timeout. Anthony McFarland Jr. in at running back. Short throw complete for 5.
2. Trubisky throws right side but rookie Keeanu Benton reads it well and bats it down at the line of scrimmage. Good play.
3. Third down. High throw over the middle but as he’s done many times before, TE Connor Heyward makes a leaping and spinning grab over the middle. Dude has serious hands and concentration. Gain of 13 to the defense’s 47.
4. Fresh set of downs. Trubisky looks for Calvin Austin III on the right side but he slips, causing the ball to be short and incomplete off the Latrobe grass.
5. Trubisky wants WR Miles Boykin on the left side but James Pierre closes well, breaking the ball up as he runs into and knocks Boykin down. Good rep.
6. Third down. Hard count. Trubisky complete to TE Rodney Williams over the middle, between two defenders, for 14 yards.
7. Trubisky checkdown to McFarland for 4 yards, Mark Robinson on the tag. They take their timeout as Mike Tomlin says, “No timeouts left, O” to the rest of the offense.
8. Hakeem Butler and Ja’Marcus Bradley the outside receivers with Calvin Austin III in the slot. Darius Hagans at running back. Trubisky complete tight side to Darnell Washington for 8 yards.
9. Time running out, though the clock is away from me and I don’t know how much is left. Trubisky with a nice touch pass down the right seam to Washington, who catches it in stride, at about the 7-yard line. He rumbles his way to the goal line. The refs ruled him down at the 1 but no one is stopping him from getting in, I promise you that. Tomlin called it a touchdown and I’ll do the same.
Camp Summary
– Offense has had its struggles the last two days. Defense definitely winning.
– Not setting off alarm bells but Kenny Pickett didn’t have a good practice today. Struggled to produce in seven shots, threw the pick in two-minute, a miss to Pickens. Not his sharpest day.
– Rookies making plays, especially in two-minute. Draft class came alive in the final team period. Washington’s touchdown, Benton’s batdown, Porter’s pick. Young guys stepping up.
– Yesterday, I got the first feeling that Broderick Jones is going to start Week One. Not an official prediction, far from set in stone, but the first time that thought earnestly crossed my mind based off what’s happened in camp. Today, I get that feeling with Joey Porter Jr. I thought that Porter might rotate into sub-package but now, Levi Wallace could rotate with Porter.
– Cornerbacks and defensive backs stepping up today. Madre Harper should be a name to know with his length and plays he made Thursday. James Pierre had been quiet to this point but was loud in a good way in this practice. Tre Norwood continues to impact the ball, too. Even Chris Wilcox had a breakup in seven shots.
– Hands have been an issue with WR Hakeem Butler since getting into the league. They’re still a problem.
Saint Vincent Photo Of The Day
Danny Smith (yellow shirt) coaching up special teams.
Better Know A Steeler
A daily blurb offering a brief bio of an interesting former Steeler.
S Scott Shields was the Steelers’ second-round pick in 1999 from Weber State. He picked off Cleveland Browns QB Tim Couch on the first play of each of their careers. Shields would not last in the NFL, though, spending just two seasons with Pittsburgh and starting only a pair of games.
Bill Burr’s Quote Of The Day
“I used to always work in warehouses, because if my boss gave me a rough time, I could just get on a forklift and just, like, drive away from him.”
