The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered at least one major injury during OTAs with TE Donald Parham Jr. reportedly rupturing his Achilles. But they managed to escape the three days of mandatory minicamp without any injury concerns that should linger into training camp next month, according to head coach Mike Tomlin.
“No injuries worth mentioning or things that could slow down our progress in terms of reporting [to] football camp,” Tomlin said Thursday via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor on X.
Most players will take a small break over the next six weeks leading up to camp, but training activities will continue away from the team. Some players will get together and train, like QB Aaron Rodgers’ open invite to Malibu to his teammates. Others will work with private coaches, and all of them should be in the weight room to some extent. That leaves at least some potential for injuries along the way, but it seems that the Steelers have a relatively clean bill of health heading into training camp.
Last year Tomlin declared the entire roster healthy after offseason practices, but there still ended up being some non-participants at the start of camp. ILB Cole Holcomb fell into that category with an injury from the year prior and didn’t end up practicing until late in the season. He is now back to full health and practicing with the rest of the team.
P Cameron Johnston also declared himself fully healthy after a gruesome knee injury suffered in Week 1 last season. And OT Troy Fautanu has been practicing without issue after suffering a season-ending knee injury early in his rookie season.
QB Russell Wilson sustained a notable injury before camp, but that occurred during the conditioning test the day players reported to Latrobe. I don’t think the Steelers will risk Aaron Rodgers’ calf by having him push a weighted sled this year, in case there was any question.
T.J. Watt skipped OTAs and minicamp as he seeks a contract extension, but his brother, J.J. Watt, told The Pat McAfee Show that his brother’s workouts have looked great this offseason. There is no doubt he is still keeping in shape for when an agreement is reached.
Teams aren’t required to disclose injuries at this point of the offseason like they do with practice reports in-season. It’s possible that there are some minor concerns, but nothing that will affect availability at camp starting on July 24, according to Tomlin.
