Who are the winners and losers of Steelers training camp?
The Steelers wrapped up their training camp practices and have left Latrobe. They have a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills before their second preseason game, but for the general public, training camp is a wrap.
Most of us have seen little of camp ourselves, but we all manage to stay abreast of the proceedings. Steelers Depot readers have Alex Kozora to thank for that this year and every year for a decade. With that in mind, who are the winners and losers of Steelers training camp in 2024?
Starting with the quarterback position, this is an easy one: Justin Fields is the winner, Russell Wilson the loser. That doesn’t mean Fields will start, but he had ample opportunity to state his case thanks to Wilson’s calf injury. The fact that Wilson missed so much time is also not ideal for his execution of the Steelers’ offense.
Beanie Bishop Jr. is another obvious winner, spending most of camp running as the Steelers’ starting nickel. You can also add DL DeMarvin Leal, who has put together his most consistent summer so far. Yet in neither case is the player in question guaranteed anything—even a spot on the Steelers’ roster.
As for losers, let’s start with Marquez Callaway and Josiah Scott. One wide receiver, one cornerback; two veterans vying to make the roster. The Steelers released both of them at the end of July. So much for that. Cordarrelle Patterson and Dean Lowry missing so much time also didn’t help their cases.
Let’s do some rookies now, where I don’t think there are any losers—even considering injuries. Even Roman Wilson impressed the Steelers’ coaches in his brief playing time, though his ankle injury will curb his early contributions. Troy Fautanu seems to have earned a starting job despite spraining his MCL, and Zach Frazier is on track to start the season. Payton Wilson and Ryan Watts have both helped themselves, while Logan Lee has been somewhat anonymous but not overwhelmingly so. He did play a decent game in the preseason opener, but he has an uphill battle.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The Steelers are in training camp and the preseason and the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
