The Pittsburgh Steelers reported to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA for their 2024 training camp and as usual, the whole process seemed to go well. All 91 players on the roster reported on Wednesday and now we’re ready for the practices to get underway on Thursday. With the team’s 2024 reporting day now in the books, I thought I would share five key takeaways I have from Wednesday.
Making A List – One of the big unknowns headed into the Steelers 2024 training camp is whether ILB Cole Holcomb would need to start off his time in Latrobe on the Active/PUP list as a result of the serious knee injury he suffered in the middle of last season. Well, we got out answer from Steelers HC Mike Tomlin on Wednesday and Holcomb will indeed begin the team’s 2024 training camp on the Active/PUP list. While that’s not shocking overall, at least we now know for sure. When will Holcomb begin practicing? That’s hard to say. Even so, don’t bet on seeing him doing so for at least a week and possibly even longer than that.
In addition to Holcomb, new Steelers DL Dean Lowry will also start training camp on the Active/PUP list. In all honesty, we probably should have seen this coming with him as he ended the 2023 regular season on the Reserve/Injured list due to a pectoral injury that required surgery. Like Holcomb, it’s hard to know for sure when Lowry will be heathy enough to start practicing.
As for RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson starting training camp on the Active/NFI list, nobody could have predicted that. According to Tomlin, Patterson injured his hamstring during offseason training. Patterson is no spring chicken so he might miss a few practices until he’s able to come off the NFI list.
While these three players required listings ahead of training camp getting underway, that’s not a bad total overall. Hopefully all three players will be able to start practicing well before the Steelers wrap up their training camp this year.
Speaking Of Najee – I have to be totally honest, I wasn’t sure that Steelers RB Najee Harris would talk to the media upon arriving to training camp this year. Even after he did initially arrive at Saint Vincent College, the path he took to the dorm made it look like he had all intentions of avoiding the media on Wednesday. Well, Harris did later come outside, and he addressed the media for the first time in what seems a very long time. I tip my cap to him for doing so and also for not acting like he didn’t want to be the focus of a media scrum.
I thought Harris spoke candidly and truthfully about how he felt about the Steelers not picking up his fifth-year option earlier in the offseason. I also thought he made his point once again about how he feels that running backs are extremely undervalued in the NFL when it comes time to actually pay them. Some might have an issue with some of his phrasing on Wednesday, but I didn’t. I rarely defend running backs because I view the position as a fungible one. That said, I do think Harris is severely underpaid this season at $2,439,198.
The next question when it comes to Harris will be answered on Thursday. Will he start a camp hold-in? Nothing he said on Wednesday leads me to believe that he will. Even so, that doesn’t mean that he won’t. Personally, I would hold-in if I were Harris even if he’s certain he won’t get a new contract this summer. I would make sure I am 100 percent healthy for the start of the 2024 regular season if I were him and thus do the basic stuff like conditioning to ensure that happens.
It certainly does not sound like Harris has a contract extension in his future this summer. Even so, I would not bet my house against him getting one just the same.
No Fuss Concerning Russ – While I’m not sure how 2024 will ultimately turn out for new Steelers QB Russell Wilson when it comes to his play on the field, I do know that his play off the field has been damn near perfect. Wilson met the media on Wednesday after arriving at Saint Vincent College and he aced that session. In fact, Wilson has aced every media session he’s participated in this offseason. Not only that, but he also made sure to get offensive players together for work a few times during the offseason.
It’s also no surprise Wilson made sure to pump up several of his offensive teammates on Wednesday. He did so flawlessly as well. He’s been through these rodeos several times already and it shows. Sure, I get that some people think Wilson is a little bit corny, but I really think that what you see is what you get and that he is that same person away from the team. It feels like Wilson has been a Steeler for three seasons now. He looks very comfortable in the leadership role.
Obviously, Wilson has yet to face adversity in Pittsburgh and that will be a big test whenever that happens. For now, however, I don’t know that you could ask for anything more from him when it comes to his offseason actions. How Wilson plays in 2024 will decide if he stays in Pittsburgh. Like most of you, I am rooting for him to have his best season in years. If he can get this team deep into the playoffs, he might be the Steelers quarterback for at least the next two seasons. He’s hard to root against and especially on Wednesday.
“He likes to work,” Tomlin said of Wilson on Wednesday. “I just think that that is a really good place to begin. He’s highly conditioned. He brings a unique approach to the weight room, maybe for a guy that plays his position. There are a lot of interesting things about him in terms of his appetite for work that’s really attractive.”
Big Things For Big Benton – Every year at this time we hear Tomlin talk about players in their second year. Wednesday was no different. Yes, Tomlin usually says that expects big jumps out of all of his second-year players. Even so, Tomlin really made his 2024 expectations for second-year DT Keeanu Benton known on Wednesday.
“Big things. Big things,” Tomlin said of Benton’s 2024 expectations.
Expectations aside, Tomlin made sure to add some definition to where Benton is coming from following his rookie season and why he is bullish on him for 2024 when asked if the Wisconsin product needs to do a better job of finishing plays this coming season.
“He can grow in all areas,” Tomlin said of Benton on Wednesday. “I don’t know what you’re talking about regarding the finish. I don’t have any issue with his hustle or conditioning. But he’s a talented young guy with tremendous upside, room for growth in all areas.”
Benton had a very good rookie season and there were plays where he looked unstoppable. He just needs more understanding, consistency, and refinement at this point, and I expect we’ll see all of those things happen in 2024. Five sacks? Seven sacks? It’s possible. If Benton does have the kind of second NFL season that most of us expect him to have, you can bet Tomlin will remind us at some point what he said about the young defensive tackle on Wednesday.
Bills Are Due For New Kickoff Rules – The Steelers rarely scrimmage against other teams during the summer, but they will this year in the middle of August. Before their preseason game, the Bills and Steelers will hold a joint practice at Acrisure Stadium on Aug. 15. During the presser, Tomlin revealed his real reasons for scheduling the scrimmage. In short, he wants to work on the new kickoff rules the NFL has instituted.
“Particularly with the new kickoff, just interested in getting some work against other people,” Tomlin said on Wednesday about why he scheduled a joint practice against the Bills this year. “Most of the time when you do joint practices, a lot is about special teams and young guys getting intentional work. That’s the spirit in which we’re going into it. Obviously going to get some offense versus defense and things of that nature, but if you’re really talking about what stimulated or sincere interest in doing it this year is just really great special teams work.”
In short, Tomlin wants to get as much work for his kickoff return and coverage units as he can this summer and that’s understandable. Remember, there’s no guarantee how many opportunities a team will have during three preseason games. At least during a scrimmage with another team there can be sessions dedicated to kickoffs. You can count on special teams coordinator Danny Smith being on board with this scrimmage against the Bills.
Sadly, the practice will be closed to the public. I bet Tomlin loves that facet of it as well. No videos floating around of how they attack their kickoffs and coverages.
