The Pittsburgh Steelers held their annual Friday Night Lights training camp practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium earlier this evening and while head coach Mike Tomlin was not present for it to deliver a heath update of the team at the conclusion of the session, our very own Alex Kozora was there and passed along a few updates on players not practicing.
According to Kozora, defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal (ankle), safety Damontae Kazee (ankle), safety Keanu Neal (undisclosed), running back John Lovett (undisclosed) and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (personal) did not practice at all or did not work fully Friday night.
Kazee has been out several practices now so it’s not surprising that he failed to practice Friday night. The same goes for Fitzpatrick, who has yet to practice since training camp got underway. Leal is seemingly working his way back from an ankle injury he sustained a few practices ago. As for Lovett, who was signed this past week, it’s hard to say why he did not practice Friday night.
As for injuries that may have occurred Friday night, Kozora reports that rookie defensive tackle Keeanu Benton appeared to tweak his right wrist during practice. We’ll have to wait and see if that impacts him at all on Saturday. Kicker Chris Boswell was not in pads and did not take part in the special teams portion of practice. Rookie B.T. Potter handled those duties, though Boswell did not look injured.
Several players held out for rest on Thursday were back practicing Friday night. That list included outside linebacker T.J. Watt, wide receiver Allen Robinson II, wide receiver Diontae Johnson, guard Isaac Seumalo, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, and cornerback Patrick Peterson.
Tomlin, by the way, was in Canton, Ohio, Friday night to take part in the Hall of Fame Gold Jacket ceremony for Ronde Barber.
The Steelers’ next practice will take place Saturday afternoon at Saint Vincent College.
