The Pittsburgh Steelers entered OTAs and mandatory minicamp with some key differences on both sides of the ball. The offense has a completely new quarterback group, an injection of youth on the offensive line, and a very different-looking wide receiver room.
The quarterbacks, specifically Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, have been the focal point of the attention paid to the Steelers. Everyone wants to know who will be the starter Week 1 and who will end the season as the starter. But for the players on the field, it’s more about how they mesh and lead. So OTAs and minicamp were a prime opportunity to build those relationships and lay the groundwork before training camp.
“OTAs and minicamp went very well,” FB/TE Connor Heyward said on Monday’s episode of the Irish Steelers Podcast. “I feel like we finished at a high level. We got better every day and guys just went in with the right mindset. Russ and Justin did a good job of setting the tempo and we just followed. I think it’s just really good, fresh, fresh energy in the building. That’s good. It’s good when you’re looking forward to going to work and you enjoy working with the guys that you work with.”
It sounds like both Wilson and Fields are doing a good job interacting with their teammates and helping set the tone of practice. That’s exactly what you want out of your quarterback. That’s good to see when the Steelers’ season is riding on the hope that at least one of the quarterbacks will answer the questions facing them well.
Heyward’s comments about wanting to go to work and getting along with your co-workers are also interesting. We’ve all been there in our daily lives. Not wanting to go to work or we’ve all had that co-worker that we would prefer never to see again.
Whether Heyward is saying that he’s enjoying the current atmosphere simply because it’s good or because certain elements have been removed is not certain. Only he knows that and he doesn’t seem to want to dive deeper.
But there were certainly some high-profile roster subtractions this offseason. The Steelers’ quarterback room is completely different, not just because they brought in four new quarterbacks but also because all three quarterbacks from 2023 are gone. There are a number of new faces in the wide receiver room, but Diontae Johnson was a staple of the roster for the last few seasons.
Could Heyward be giving insight into how different the feel of the locker room is because a number of people are gone? Sure. But it also sounds like the people in the room are bringing a lot of energy to the team.
And that sounds good.
