Mike Tomlin usually wraps up his final press conference after minicamp to offer up the “be in the best shape of your life” speech. But Tomlin’s done this thing long enough to know there’s nothing you can tell a rookie to truly get him ready for training camp and transition to the start of a new year, a non-stop grind from July until hopefully February.
Addressing reporters one final time before training camp starts on July 24, Tomlin said rookies will learn best by experiencing it themselves.
“I don’t tell them a whole lot to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin said via Yardbarker’s Aaron Becker. “It doesn’t matter what I tell them. They’re still gonna be shocked and surprised at times. There’s going to be a period of adjustment.”
Similar to 2023, the Steelers could be counting heavily on their rookie class. First-round offensive tackle Troy Fautanu and second-round center Zach Frazier could be Day 1 starters. WR Roman Wilson and LB Payton Wilson should have at least rotational roles on their side of the ball. Even DL Logan Lee and DB Ryan Watts could see a handful of snaps should they make the team, the latter a potential special teams ace.
Despite the unknowns for a rookie class, Tomlin couldn’t leave without offering the “best shape of your life” speech he gives the team and media each year.
“Now it’s the challenge of building off that level of conditioning and preparation for camp, as individuals and as a collective,” he said. “And so as we leave and go our separate ways, that’s kind of the messaging.”
The Steelers will truly begin their 2024 season on July 24 when they report to training camp. The team will hold its conditioning test that day with the first practice on the 25th. The pads will come on July 30. Their preseason kicks off Aug. 9 versus the Houston Texans while their regular season begins Sept. 8 in Atlanta.
