Training camp is officially over, but the Pittsburgh Steelers held a joint practice Thursday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of their Saturday night preseason tilt. Taking place at Acrisure Stadium and closed to the public, we weren’t there and information on the session is more limited than usual. However, beat reporters on the sidelines shared a handful of nuggets of the day’s most notable moments.
Based on the reporting, Tampa Bay’s wide receivers won the day against Pittsburgh’s secondary.
In now-deleted tweets from the Buccaneers-centric website Pewter Report, Tampa Bay WR Jalen McMillan made “consecutive sideline grabs” during the two-minute drill, ending in a Mike Evans touchdown over CB Jalen Ramsey. Later, rookie WR Emeka Egbuka reportedly beat CB Brandin Echols for “roughly a 40-yard touchdown.”
Jalen Ramsey wanted star WR Mike Evans and reportedly, got more than he can handle. In an also-deleted tweet, Pewter Report called Evans “unstoppable” against Ramsey and the Steelers’ secondary.
The Steelers boast a strong trio at cornerback and routinely shut things down at Saint Vincent College. But Tampa Bay has plenty of firepower at receiver even with Chris Godwin on the PUP list in Evans and a handful of recent draft picks.
It’s worth noting the Steelers’ pass rush couldn’t hit the quarterback and the session wasn’t “live,” meaning no tackling was allowed. That always gives the offense an edge and it’s clear QB Baker Mayfield and company took advantage.
Pittsburgh’s offense had its moments, too. According to Pewter Report (in another deleted tweet), TE Pat Freiermuth scored on an accurate pass from QB Aaron Rodgers away from rookie S Shilo Sanders (son of Deion and brother of Browns QB Shedeur). But even in the one-on-one competition periods, it sounds like WR DK Metcalf didn’t get loose for many plays.
The running game, which has underwhelmed in camp, had its issues, too, with RB Jaylen Warren reportedly “tackled” in the backfield for a loss on one occasion.
Per The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo, the Steelers’ offense won Seven Shots, 6-1. The two-minute drill was far less successful.
If Pittsburgh’s offense struggled as much as the reporting makes it out to sound, and keep in mind most of these tweets are coming from Tampa Bay reporters, it could be another motivating factor in the Steelers acquiring a wide receiver to pair opposite Metcalf.
Beyond the action, QB Ben Roethlisberger was on-hand for today’s session. Roethlisberger wasn’t able to make it out for a training camp practice but showed up today with his sons.
The Steelers and Buccaneers will play Saturday night at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh will have a quick turnaround for its preseason finale, travelling to face the Carolina Panthers Thursday night. Cutdown date to trim rosters from 90 to 53 is Aug. 26.
