OTAs kicked off Tuesday for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but for the first day, they had a few notable absences. That included T.J. Watt, DK Metcalf, and Darius Slay. They’re voluntary workouts, though, so it isn’t a huge deal that those players weren’t in attendance. Also, it’s important to note that just because players missed the first day of OTAs doesn’t mean that they aren’t going to attend any of the sessions. Slay is a perfect example. According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, despite missing the first day, Slay was in attendance for the Steelers’ second OTA session.
And he explained why.
“Because this is where you build, this is where it starts off,” Slay said Wednesday via Pryor on Twitter. “This is where championship football starts at. You want to be a champion. Some stuff you got to sacrifice.”
OTAs might not seem extremely important in the grand scheme of things, especially since they are voluntary. However, it’s really the first opportunity for the entire new team to work together. It’s the start of the bonding process, and it likely has more importance for new players like Slay.
Slay is going into his 13th NFL season, so he’s got a ton of experience under his belt. However, this is his first season with the Steelers, and while he’s familiar with defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, it’s important for him to get acclimated to a new environment.
Also, Slay won a championship last year with the Philadelphia Eagles. Therefore, he knows what it takes to win the Super Bowl. If he’s saying it starts here in OTAs, then there’s probably some credence to that.
Does that say anything negative about players who aren’t there? No. Like Slay, they could eventually show up. There’s also no telling what their reasons for missing OTAs are. If they miss all of OTAs, but show up for mandatory minicamp, then there probably won’t be too much of an issue.
We’ll see if any of the other Steelers who have missed OTAs so far follow Slay’s lead and eventually attend. The regular season is still months away, though, so there’s plenty of time for everyone to show up and work. It would be nice to have everyone in attendance, but there are still four sessions left. Perhaps those remaining veterans will show up.
