The Pittsburgh Steelers hit the practice field for their last padded session ahead of Friday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Let’s talk about what happened Wednesday.
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Camp Notes (Day Twelve)
– Injury roundup. Not practicing today was a short list. Only RB John Lovett (lower body) and S Tre Norwood (leg) did not practice at all. Norwood had a black sleeve on his right leg, ankle to below the knee. Limited today were S Damontae Kazee, S Keanu Neal, OLB Nick Herbig, and CB Joey Porter. All four were in pads, so Neal is getting closer to a full return, but none practiced in the team session. Porter dinged his ankle over the weekend but practiced yesterday. Don’t know if it’s the same injury or something new. We’ll see if he or Herbig can play Friday. It’s going to be tight.
OG Kevin Dotson practiced in full after seemingly hurting his right shoulder yesterday. But he looked no worse for wear. DL Larry Ogunjobi did not finish practice, briefly standing next to head trainer Gabe Amponsah, but he seems okay as well.
– Former NFL WR Steve Smith was on-hand for today’s practice, catching passes on the JUGS machine before the players came down as the NFL Network camera crew filmed it.
– His Holiness, the Steelers Pope, was in attendance for today’s practice.
– Kendrick Green a popular man coming down the stairs, taking five selfies with fans as he came down the stairs and pathway to the field. To be fair, I think fans were looking with selfies with anyone willing to take them, but Green got more love from fans than TE Pat Freiermuth, who walked down behind him. Freiermuth continues to be the first tight end on the field to get work in before practice. Rodney Williams was the last tight end to join the others at 1:49. Freiermuth is out there roughly 10 minutes earlier, for reference, for the 1:55 practice.
– Broderick Jones and Dan Moore Jr. working together before practice, Jones working on his snatch and trap technique.
– Cornerback/safety Elijah Riley also getting in lots of extra work before practice got going, working on the middle field changing directions and his shuffle/mirror.
– TEs Coach Alfredo Roberts spending a lot of 1v1 time working on run blocking with rookie Darnell Washington.
– The only player today who did not go through stretch line was Norwood. So that’s a good place for the team to be this far into camp.
First Team Session (11 v 11)
1. More seven shots. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith the outside linebackers, Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts the inside linebackers, Kenny Robinson and Minkah Fitzpatrick the safeties. Allen Robinson II in the slot with Diontae Johnson and George Pickens the outside receivers. Najee Harris motioned into the backfield after being split out in empty.
Pickett looks for Robinson left side, but the throw is a little out in front and incomplete, CB Chandon Sullivan covering. Some contact but it’s a win for the defense.
2. Pickett looks to throw right side. But LB Kwon Alexander is racing in on a blitz and bats the ball down on his way there, the second time he’s done it to Pickett over the last handful of practices.
3. Fade in the right corner from Pickett to Pickens. Patrick Peterson has good coverage but is face-guarding Pickens and can’t see the ball. Pickens tracks it and makes the catch low as he curls and goes to the ground for the offense’s first score.
4. Pickett connects with Allen Robinson II in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Good throw and catch.
5. Mitch Trubisky in the game. Has Calvin Austin III open left side and it should be a touchdown but Austin juggles the ball and never secures it in the back of the end zone, falling out of bounds. Mike Tomlin gives the classic “he juggled it” motion with his hands and it’s incomplete.
6. Trubisky looks to hit TE Darnell Washington on a fade left side, where he’s scored twice in practice already. But CB James Pierre plays it well, tipping the pass and possibly coming down with the interception. He caught the ball – it was just hard to tell if his feet were inbounds. Either way, good play from Pierre for the defensive win.
7. Connor Heyward sidecar running back to Trubisky in the gun. Pass complete on a slant right side, hitting WR Dez Fitzpatrick against Elijah Riley.
Defense wins seven shots 4-3, though had Austin caught that pass, the score would’ve flipped in the offense’s favor.
– Seven on seven was run twice today, including once early in practice. Some notes here.
– DBs Coach Grady Brown getting on CB Madre Harper for not finishing a play after George Pickens caught a pass on him running a 10-15 yard out. “Punch it out! Don’t let him off the hook!” Brown said, doing his best Dennis Green impression.
– Steelers defense twice had communication breakdowns in 7v7, leading to receivers making wide-open catches on two reps. Mike Tomlin wasn’t happy with it. “We aren’t turning this into a defensive walkthrough,” he called out.
– Elijah Riley and Chandon Sullivan had breakups on Jordan Byrd.
– Darnell Washington made a nice jumping grab down the left seam over Minkah Fitzpatrick, who didn’t find the football. Still a nice play by Washington.
– In a different 7v7 period late in the day, WR Gunner Olszewski and LB Chapelle Russell had a simultaneous catch on one play. Neither wanted to let go of the football and no one tried to break them up, letting them wrestle on the ground for 15-30 seconds until someone ripped the ball away. It was Olszewski who broke away with it for what we’ll call a physical completion.
– To close out that same period, LB Tanner Muse had a good close and breakup on TE Connor Heyward.
Second Team Session
1. Ball at the offense’s 31. Larry Ogunjobi and Cam Heyward the defensive tackles. Offensive line of Dan Moore Jr.-Isaac Seumalo-Mason Cole-James Daniels-Chukwuma Okorafor. Pickett under center in a 3×1 set. Harris carry right side but LB Cole Holcomb continues to be all over the run periods. He is in there to tag Harris for a 2-yard loss.
2. Ogunjobi-Montravius Adams-Heyward the three down linemen. Kendrick Green in the game aligned Y-off. Jaylen Warren carry left side. Elandon Roberts finds him and pops him good after a gain of just 1.
3. Pickett boots to the left. Opts against hitting TE Darnell Washington in the flat for what would’ve been a short gain and fires downfield to WR Allen Robinson II on a 7/flag route for a gain of 22, a nice progression and decision by Pickett. There were two defenders in the area who would’ve hit Robinson had this been a tackling session but still a good play by Pickett and grab by Robinson.
4. Pickett under center. Handoff to Harris but T.J. Watt – as he typically does – knifes past and tags Harris in the backfield.
“Can someone block T.J., please?” Mike Tomlin calls out, something many opposing offensive coordinators have said before, I’m sure.
5. Jaylen Warren forced to cutback here and LB Chapelle Russell helps spin Warren to the ground. Russell pretty fired up here.
6. “Twenty-six in the game, alert the pass,” the defense calls out, referring to Anthony McFarland Jr. aligned in the backfield. He hasn’t had a ton of carries this camp. But he runs the ball here. Safety Trenton Thompson flies in to tag McFarland first while Mark Robinson and Russell also clean things up. They’re pumped and butt helmets after the play.
7. Mitch Trubisky shotgun. Elijah Riley in the slot. Connor Heyward gets the screen right side. Looked decently blocked at first but Heyward was forced to cutback, and again, it seemed like Chapelle Russell was the first man around the ball.
6. Defensive line trio of DeMarvin Leal-Keeanu Benton-Isaiahh Loudermilk. Heyward gets the carry left side, bouncing outside as the left side washes things down. Nice run of 6 before CB James Pierre cuts him down.
7. Greg Bell gets the carry right side. DE Armon Watts sheds a block and makes the stop after 2 yards.
8. Kendrick Green in at center. McFarland in at running back. Mason Rudolph in at quarterback. Pistol set. McFarland carry over right guard for 3 yards. LB Nick Kwiatkoski and others fill the lane.
9. Luq Barcoo and Isaiah Dunn at cornerback. Jalen Elliott and Chris Wilcox the safeties. Armon Watts and Manny Jones the defensive tackles. Mile Boykin motioned in as the wing left side. Greg Bell carry right side. Good lane and he gets 9 before being tripped up and falling forward.
10. Spencer Anderson in at left tackle, Ryan McCollum in at left guard. Connor Heyward aligns as a fullback in the backfield to begin the play before being motioned out to an H-Back/Y-off alignment. He and right guard Bill Dunkle pull around right to left to lead the way for Jordan Byrd, a college running back playing wide receiver all camp but aligning as a true running back here. Byrd has a lane and gets upfield but can’t break the tackle by Kwiatkoski, who wraps him up to the ground without issue.
– Quick special teams notes. Nice coffin corner punt by Pressley Harvin, fielded and downed by Miles Boykin at the 1. Boykin threw the ball back into the field of play as his momentum carried him into the end zone. Braden Mann’s punt was fielded by Gunner Olszewski at the 11. Some punting notes and hangtimes.
Pressley Harvin III: 4.10 seconds (53 yards), 4.84 seconds (43 yards), 3.78 seconds (39 yards, ball landed out of bounds), 5.18 seconds (44 yards), 5.12 seconds (49 yards), 4.25 seconds (46 yards).
Braden Mann: 4.34 seconds (52 yards), 3.85 seconds (43 yards), 4.56 seconds (39 yards, ball landed out of bounds), 4.43 seconds (40 yards), 5.20 seconds (44 yards).
Good hangtimes from Harvin and Mann’s 5.20 pops as well.
– Later in the day during a field goal block session, the team “practicing” defending long field goals of 55-60 yards and longer. Madre Harper went MIA. Standing on the offense’s side with Hakeem Butler and Cody White, the period was paused while they looked for Harper, everyone calling out for him. Danny Smith finally found him and chewed him out a little bit. With Harper on the line, the period could resume.
– They’ve rotated different people but I noticed Darnell Washington and Zach Gentry as the wings on a field goal attempt. Potential fake option down the road? It’s possible when you have two pass-catchers there instead of say, a lineman.
Third Team Session
1. Ball on the offense’s 18. Kenny Pickett complete to Diontae Johnson on a shallow cross for 7.
2. Montravius Adams and Cam Heyward the defensive tackle. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith the outside linebackers. Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander the inside linebackers. Patrick Peterson at left cornerback, Levi Wallace at right cornerback, Chandon Sullivan in the slot. Kenny Robinson and Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety. Pickett complete to WR Allen Robinson II against Sullivan for a gain of 10.
3. Dime defense. Mark Robinson the only inside linebacker. James Pierre and Levi Wallace on the outside, Patrick Peterson in the slot. Fitzpatrick and Robinson at safety though CB Duke Dawson is playing a deep safety spot here. Adams pressures Pickett. He’s flushed right and throws for Johnson but it’s short and skips a good 2-3 yards at Johnson’s feet. OT Chukwuma Okorafor hit his hand or something here and had to shake off the pain. But he stayed in.
4. Patrick Peterson bails to the deep middle on the snap of the football. Pickett looks for Johnson but it’s incomplete, James Pierre covering. Pickett aired it out deep down the right side but overthrew everyone.
5. David Perales and Markus Golden in at outside linebacker. Mark Robinson and Chapelle Russell at inside linebacker. Mitch Trubisky in at quarterback. Throw slightly behind WR Cody White but he adjusts for it, picking up 3.
6. Connor Heyward and Zach Gentry the tight ends. Keeanu Benton and DeMarvin Leal the defensive tackles. Miles Killebrew and Trenton Thompson the safeties with Elijah Riley manning the slot. Trubisky again finds White, this time on a slant, gaining 7 yards working on CB Madre Harper.
7. Barcoo and Harper the outside corners with Sullivan in the nickel. Trubisky flushed right. Believe White was the target, making the grab along the sideline. Tough to tell if he was inbounds but WR Coach Frisman Jackson (a little biased, to be fair) calls him inbounds for a 14-yard gain. I’ll give it to him here. During the play, nice job by OT Le’Raven Clark to handle Perales’ inside spin.
8. WR Gunner Olszewski makes a great diving grab over the middle for 19 yards on a dig route. Trubisky throws, I believe and the pass is complete. While Kendrick Green has had fun at FB, he had an ugly rep here along the offensive line. Not sure what happened but I saw him get turned around and face Trubisky, never a good place to be as an offensive linemen.
9. Mason Rudolph comes in. Complete to WR Hakeem Butler for just a 1-yard gain, perhaps with a double-catch but he makes the grab.
10. Jonathan Marshall and Breiden Fehoko the defensive tackles. Toby Ndukwe and Quincy Roche the outside linebackers. Rudolph looks for Butler right side on a curl but the pass is incomplete, broken up well by Isaiah Dunn from his right cornerback spot.
11. TE Rodney Williams motions across. Williams on a curl and Rudolph wants him. But the pass is a little outside his frame, extending and diving for the ball with both hands. But it hits off his hands and is incomplete.
12. Rudolph wants to hit WR Jordan Byrd on a crosser but CB Chandon Sullivan breaks it up.
Fourth Team Session
1. Line of scrimmage on the offense’s 39. Peterson and Wallace the outside corners with Sullivan in the slot. Play-action with James Daniels pulling. Not a designed screen but Pickett throws back to Najee Harris for 7 yards, Minkah Fitzpatrick coming down to be the first defender there.
2. Allen Robinson II in the slot. Najee Harris up the middle for about 5 yards.
3. Pickett completes to Diontae Johnson on a crosser for a 7-yard gain. Pressure from OLB Alex Highsmith on this one as Pickett booted right and rolled right into him. Highsmith, of course, pulled up as to not hit the franchise’s quarterback. Defensive line trio of Armon Watts-Montravius Adams-Cameron Heyward on this play.
4. Elandon Roberts and Cole Holcomb the inside linebackers. Minkah Fitzpatrick spins down into the box. Jaylen Warren toss left. Good room and I’ll give him 11. Hard chase from Highsmith behind and tries to punch the ball out. Warren holds on but stumbles and goes to the ground.
5. Offensive line of: Broderick Jones-Kevin Dotson-Kendrick Green-Nate Herbig-Le’Raven Clark. Jet run to Calvin Austin III but I missed the yardage here. Run was left to right.
6. Dotson pulls, play-action. Trubisky complete to Miles Boykin over the middle for a 13-yard gain, Mark Robinson covering that territory between the numbers.
7. Perales and Golden the EDGE pairing. Perales walks out to cover the slot. Anthony McFarland Jr. aligned as a wing left side. Warren carry up the middle, Mark Robinson tagging him after a 3-yard pickup. Warren finishes the run down the right sideline with a couple defenders running with him, including the uber-athletic DeMarvin Leal.
8. Trubisky under center. Boots to the left and has Connor Heyward in the flat. But Miles Killebrew charges hard and meets him before Heyward can turn upfield, taking him all the way down to the ground for the quick cleanup.
9. Offensive line of Spencer Anderson-Nate Herbig-Ryan McCollum-Bill Dunkle-Dylan Cook. McFarland the running back. Duke Dawson on a blitz. Mason Rudolph pass complete to Jordan Byrd for 11 yards, falling at the end.
10. Greg Bell a short run of 3. Defensive lineman Manny Jones one of several in on the stop.
11. Jonathan Marshall and Manny Jones the defensive tackles. Toby Ndukwe and Quincy Roche the outside linebackers. Isaiah Dunn and Madre Harper the outside corners, Duke Dawson in the slot. Hakeem Butler the X receiver, Jordan Byrd in the slot. Backside screen pass complete to TE Zach Gentry for about eight yards, Marshall chasing hard from behind and falling/diving to track Gentry.
12. Kendrick Green aligned Y-off. Darius Hagans with the carry up the middle. Tanner Muse gets free and pops him in the hole for only a gain of 1.
OL/DL Results
– I don’t chart the 2v2 rushes that work on stunt pickup in a play-by-play style. But I noticed that Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo did well to pass off their twists. Rookie Spencer Anderson had more trouble working with offensive line partner Le’Raven Clark.
– In one 2v2 rush, Breiden Fehoko bowled over OG Bill Dunkle for a good win. But Dunkle got revenge the next rep, using a snatch/trap to knock Fehoko down and take him to the ground.
– They did mix in a couple of 1v1s. Here are those reps.
1. T.J. Watt swipes and dips past Chukwuma Okorafor.
2. They go again. Watt does the same move and wins in even more convincing fashion, flattening the edge and getting past.
3. Dan Moore Jr. does well to seal Alex Highsmith up the arc.
4. Moore tries to quick set/chasedown Highsmith but he whiffs and Highsmith ducks and dips past to win in knockout fashion.
Fifth Team Session
1. Red zone work, starting on the red zone fringe at the defense’s 24. Adams and Benton the first-team defensive tackles. Watt and Highsmith still in the game to finish things out. Kwon Alexander getting first-team rep. Pickett looks for Calvin Austin III in the left flat as he motions across and that helps draw the defense in. Pickens gets open along the left sideline and Pickett comes off his initial read to Austin, hitting Pickens open for a walk-in 24-yard score.
2. Pistol formation. Najee Harris good vertical cut for a gain of 8 yards.
3. Alexander and Holcomb the inside linebackers. Pickens and Johnson the outside receivers with Allen Robinson II in the slot. Nice slide and pass protection from LG Isaac Seumalo to keep the pocket clean. But there’s nothing open for Pickett, who tucks and runs.
4. Peterson and Wallace the outside corners with Sullivan in the slot. Zach Gentry in at TE. Pickett wants Robinson in the end zone. Pass is a touch behind and Sullivan closes well to force the incompletion.
5. Second-stringers come in and the period gets reset, ball at the 25. Mitch Trubisky hits RB Anthony McFarland Jr. on an angle route for about 10 yards.
6. Offensive line of Broderick Jones-Kevin Dotson-Kendrick Green-Nate Herbig-Le’Raven Clark. Cody White and Calvin Austin III on the outside with Gunner Olszewski in the slot. Jaylen Warren stretch run right side. CB Luq Barcoo tracks it and bumps him. Call it a loss of 1.
7. Perales and Roche the EDGE guys. Warren motions in sidecar next to Trubisky. Looks for TE Rodney Williams down the seam. Safety Trenton Thompson tracks and tips it but Williams shows impressive hand-eye coordination and brings the ball down off the tip for about a 10-yard touchdown.
8. Trubisky rifles one over the middle complete to TE Darnell Washington, between two defenders, for an 8-yard score.
9. Rudolph checks into the right flat complete to WR Dez Fitzpatrick. About a 5-yard gain.
10. Ball at the 16. Greg Bell in at running back. Rodney Williams beats LB Nick Kwiatkoski to the left corner for his second touchdown of the period. Nice route here.
11. Darius Hagans in at running back. Mason Rudolph under center. Rudolph looks for Miles Boykin right side in the end zone. He makes the catch but can’t get any part of his body inbounds and it’s incomplete, despite Boykin’s good effort.
12. Ball at the 5. Empty set until Connor Heyward motions in. Jordan Byrd slot right. Rudolph complete to WR Hakeem Butler on a slant but Chris Wilcox makes the stop shy of the goal line, taking Butler down at the 1 to end practice.
Camp Summary
– Nice day for Kenny Pickett. Could really see and feel him work his progressions and push the ball downfield even when his first read was something short. He’s kept his eyes downfield throughout camp, though it’s a little easier when you can’t get hit. Still, good work today.
– A relatively minor note but it’s all important to us. Will need to re-check my notes but feels like RB Greg Bell has leapt Darius Hagans on the depth chart. Worked ahead of him today. Bell has shown explosiveness and good hands.
– Anthony McFarland Jr. continues to show himself as a crisp route runner with reliable hands.
– Nice day for the tight ends. More of a wide receiver type in college, Rodney Williams put his athleticism on display today. And all Darnell Washington does is score touchdowns.
– Offensive guard Bill Dunkle has size and strength but pass protection is a real weakness. He’s an old-school mauler.
– Wide receiver Jordan Byrd has a small catch radius and it’s easy to jostle the ball away from him on contact. A college running back, he’s not a natural receiver.
– This applies more towards yesterday’s practice than anything I saw today but Broderick Jones, like Dan Moore Jr., needs to work on his leverage and handling bull/power rushes. They give him some trouble.
– Ninety-five percent of the evaluation will come down to games but from what I’ve seen…I’m giving Pressley Harvin the nod over Braden Mann at punter and Christian Kuntz the nod over Rex Sunahara at punter. Harvin and Kuntz have just looked better than Mann and Sunahara.
– Inside linebacker Chapelle Russell has had a good camp. At least in playing the run. High-energy dude who could crack some skulls Friday night in the preseason opener.
– Wide receiver Allen Robinson II just keeps making the tough catches. Does everything the Steelers brought him in to do.
– Like how S Trenton Thompson plays downhill and attacks the run. Could try to capture a practice squad spot.
– Impressive day for NCB Chandon Sullivan with multiple pass breakups. The slot battle remains ongoing.
Saint Vincent Photo Of The Day
7 on 7 wrapping up as the offensive and defensive linemen make their way over from the middle field to join everyone else for the final team session.
Better Know A Steeler
A daily blurb offering a brief bio of an interesting former Steeler.
Quarterback Duck Hodges went from tryout player from Samford to starting six games for the Steelers in 2019 after the team lost Ben Roethlisberger six quarters into the year. Nicknamed “Duck” for his duck call contests growing up, he was briefly a fan favorite. Hodges has now retired.
Bill Burr’s Quote Of The Day
“A good story is always you doing something wrong, you know? That’s why nice people are so damn boring. I mean, they’re nice, but their stories suck.”
