The Pittsburgh Steelers hit the practice field Saturday afternoon just over 12 hours from finishing Friday Night Lights. A lighter practice today that focused more on backups and reserves, but there’s still plenty to discuss.
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Camp Notes (Day Nine)
– Laundry list of injuries and players getting the day off. Easily the largest group this camp. Not practicing today were DL Cam Heyward, EDGE T.J. Watt, C Ryan McCollum, DL Esezi Otomewo, TE Jonnu Smith, WR Calvin Austin III, CB Joey Porter Jr., TE DJ Thomas-Jones, CB Cory Trice Jr., NT Keeanu Benton, OT Calvin Anderson, WR DK Metcalf, QB Aaron Rodgers, ILB Patrick Queen, CB Donte Kent, and SS DeShon Elliott.
Much of this is veteran rest coming off the night practice, including Rodgers. His first off day of the summer. Others who appeared to also getting rest were Heyward, Watt, Metcalf, Queen, and Elliott. Jonnu Smith may have been the same but I can’t say for sure. Some of them filtered onto the field after practice started. Metcalf walked down at 2:12 PM while Heyward and Watt walked down together at 2:17. They were not “late” as that’s normal for guys getting a day off. Heyward signed several autographs while Watt also signed a couple, though maybe he was trying to play a little coy with a black hoodie pulled over his head and sunglasses on. Fans still knew it was him.
Post-practice, Mike Tomlin indicated Otomewo and Thomas-Jones are close to returning. I spotted Thomas-Jones on the far field working pretty vigorously in his rehab, resistance training in a helmet with a trainer. Porter also did some light work and should return within the coming days. Negatively, Tomlin noted Trice and Calvin Anderson could miss a stretch of time. Trice can’t beat the injury bug and Anderson out is a hit to tackle depth.
Good news is Broderick Jones keeps increasing his team reps while Isaac Seumalo, mirroring Jones’ work yesterday, worked in the first team period (Seven Shots). He sat out the rest but it’s progress.
I noticed Jones wearing a big wrap around his waist underneath his jersey. Trainers heavily wrapped OL Spencer Anderson’s right thigh/groin early in practice, but he worked in full.
– Newly re-signed DL Breiden Fehoko will wear No. 79. He previously wore No. 96 but those digits were taken by Daniel Ekuale this offseason. Fehoko played left defensive end and d-tackle today.
– Another mega-crowd today. Combination of a weekend, great weather (dry and cool) brought the fans out in full force. The line to get into Saint Vincent stretched a literal mile and wrapped around the parking lot to the point cars could only park on one side because the other half had people in it.
– Lighter day without pads but Jack Sawyer, who wore a brace on his right arm yesterday, went without it today. We’ll see if he puts it back on with Mike Tomlin confirming the Steelers will be back in pads Sunday.
– Centers and quarterbacks working in early pre-practice warmups. Mason Rudolph/Zach Frazier, Nick Broeker/Skylar Thompson, Max Scharping/Will Howard.
– While Rodgers had the day off, he was active throughout the afternoon. He helped coordinate the card defense during the offense’s initial install period, getting calls in, the “scout team” defensive linemen aligned, and even “rushing” a few times.
– Chris Boswell didn’t kick during the mid-practice special teams period but attempted kicks from 63 and two from 65 yards early in practice. All three had the leg but all three missed wide left or right, the referees on hand indicating they were no good.
– Defensive backs worked on tip drills during individual sessions. Two lines, one in front of the other. The first defender would have a pass thrown over their head and they’d tip it in the air to the line behind, where the other DB would catch it.
– Special teams notes. Gunner pairings: WR Ke’Shawn Williams and CB Beanie Bishop Jr, S Quindell Johnson and CB Cameron McCutcheon, WR Brandon Johnson and CB Brandin Echols. Returners included WR Robert Woods, WR Max Hurleman, WR Ke’Shawn Williams, and WR Scotty Miller.
On the line, Miles Killebrew worked first-team upback. Payton Wilson and Cole Holcomb served as wings while Trey Sermon and Jack Sawyer also got time there.
– First time I was able to chart punts this year. Hang times and distances.
Corliss Waitman: 4.68 seconds (57 yards), 4.05 seconds (45 yards), 4.58 seconds (53 yards), 4.78 seconds (42 yards), 4.87 seconds (49 yards).
Cameron Johnston: 4.59 seconds (52 yards), 4.73 seconds (48 yards), 4.64 seconds (46 yards), 4.60 seconds (41 yards).
Both punted well but based on the numbers, Waitman had the better session. Really good hang times by both.
– Only rookie Ben Sauls kicked during a later special teams period. He struggled, going 5-of-8. He made from 32, 37, 32, 39, and 41 yards. However, he missed from 32, 36, and 41 yards. They lined up for a 63-yarder, but it was a fake/botched simulation with no kick.
– Ahead of one individual period, offensive linemen Aiden Williams and Doug Nester carried over a bunch of the red pads used for the drill.
First Team Practice (11 on 11)
Seven Shots
1. O-line of Jones-Seumalo-Frazier-McCormick-Fautanu. Derrick Harmon and Isaiahh Loudermilk the d-tackles. Payton Wilson and Cole Holcomb the inside linebackers, the latter getting first-team reps with Queen having the day off. Mason Rudolph at QB, Kenneth Gainwell at RB, Roman Wilson and Scotty Miller the receivers.
Rudolph has nothing there and scrambles to his right to extend the play. Throws to Miller right side but James Pierre has good coverage and forces the incompletion.
2. D-line of Harmon-Ekuale-Loudermilk. Juan Thornhill at safety, offense in 12 personnel. Darnell Washington slot right, Pat Freiermuth slot left. Rudolph finds Washington wide open on a corner route right side and he reaches up to snag it over his head for the score.
3. Jack Sawyer and DeMarvin Leal the EDGE rushers. Rudolph looks for Freiermuth right side. Good coverage by Chuck Clark and Holcomb force the incompletion.
4. O-line of Cook-Anderson-Scharping-Nester-Jones. Will Howard checks in. Rolls to his right and looks for Ben Skowronek. But slot corner Beanie Bishop Jr. matches him and leaps into the air, forcing the incompletion. Nice play by Bishop.
5. Kyler McMichael and Cameron McCutcheon the outside cornerbacks. Chuck Clark and Miles Killebrew the safeties. Brandon Johnson and Ke’Shawn Williams at receiver with Kaleb Johnson in the backfield. Howard rifles a throw on a slant complete to Johnson left side with McCutcheon draped over him.
6. O-line of Cook-Broeker-Scharping-Williams-Jones. Domenique Davis and Kyler Baugh the d-tackles. Skylar Thompson steps in at quarterback with Trey Sermon as the back. Max Hurleman and Ke’Shawn Williams the receivers. Thompson throw over the middle is incomplete, I think intended for Kevin Foelsch, as the ball bounces away through the end zone.
7. Evan Hull the back. Hurleman goes in motion. Jack Sawyer aligned as an off-ball linebacker. Thompson throw right side for Hurleman is incomplete, UDFA S Sebastian Castro covering.
One on Ones
Couple notes from the backs and tight ends versus safeties.
1. Connor Heyward on an angle route but S Quindell Johnson closes to break up the throw.
2. Kaleb Johnson jets away from Malik Harrison on an out route.
3. JJ Galbreath works through Mark Robinson’s press and wins downfield, making the catch.
4. Nice hands catch by Jaylen Warren against Carson Bruener. Walking back from the previous rep, Mark Robinson and ILBs coach Scott McCurley nearly got in the way.
5. Foelsch runs a nod route, an out ‘n up, but Quindell Johnson isn’t fooled and picks off the pass underneath. Throw wasn’t great, too low lining instead of being over the top. Will Howard was the QB for all these passes as Skylar Thompson and Mason Rudolph warmed up to throw with the receivers.
6. Pat Freiermuth runs a nice 7-route to break away from Payton Wilson for the reception.
7. Nice snag by Evan Hull above his head against Cole Holcomb.
8. Darnell Washington pushes off Quindell Johnson before making the catch, but the referee throws a flag. Fans boo. Johnson claps in agreement with the zebra.
9. Nice coverage and breakup by rookie LB Carson Bruener against Lew Nichols.
10. Good double move by Connor Heyward, but Devin Harper catches up. The throw was bad and influenced the incompletion, though.
One on Ones
Receivers versus defensive backs.
Before getting into the reps, the receivers/secondary worked on releases and jams. Nickel corner D’Shawn Jamison had a great press/mirror rep against someone, I think Ke’Shawn Williams, where his defensive teammates got hyped with him. Led to a little skirmish but nothing major.
1. Rookie Roc Taylor shows burst to gain a step on Brandin Echols, making a nifty one-handed snag in the end zone. But the ref ruled he didn’t get both feet inbounds so the pass was incomplete.
2. Roman Wilson with an over-the-shoulder grab on Beanie Bishop Jr. but this one also out of bounds.
3. Robert Woods gears down and makes the grab against James Pierre, who slipped at the top of Woods’ curl route.
4. Jamison stays with Ke’Shawn Williams vertically and tips the ball away, nearly picking it off.
5. Scotty Miller beats Cameron McCutcheon on a slant.
6. Ben Skowronek catch against Beanie Bishop, a fairly physical rep with Bishop shoving him at the end.
7. Lance McCutcheon double move but Kyler McMichael stays with it. Ball hits off McCutcheon’s left hand.
8. Speed out by Max Hurleman, who makes the catch and ensures Echols can’t rip the ball away.
9. Pierre steps in front of Brandon Johnson for the interception on an underneath route. Nice rep. Bishop and McMichael celebrate with him.
10. Jamison has good coverage on a throw in the end zone. Gets a hand on the ball but Wilson stays with it to make the grab off the tip in the end zone. Good concentration and finish.
11. Taylor catches a pass on an out route against McCutcheon.
12. OPI called on Ke’Shawn Williams, pushing off to make a grab on a curl route versus Beanie Bishop Jr.
13. Kyler McMichael is too grabby and flagged for holding on McCutcheon, who still makes the catch on a curl.
14. Nice release by Taylor. Outside jab step before crossing D’Shawn Jamison inside, making the grab on a slant. WRs coach Zach Azzanni runs out to Taylor, his hands grabbing Taylor’s helmet and giving him a hug for a great rep.
15. James Pierre is all over Robert Woods’ slant, picking off the pass for his second interception of the period. Jalen Ramsey is amped and runs over, putting his arm around Pierre and celebrating at they walk back.
16. McCutcheon grabby on Scotty Miller, who hits him with a double-move and makes the catch.
17. Nice recovery by Bishop as he flips his hips and closes in time to break up a pass to Max Hurleman.
18. Brandin Echols slows up mid-route and Brandon Johnson fades away to make the vertical grab.
19. Maybe another push from Ke’Shawn Williams against Jamison. But no flag here.
Second Team Period (11 on 11)
1. Ball on the offense’s 45. O-line of Jones-Anderson-Frazier-McCormick-Fautanu. Mason Rudolph under center, 12 personnel. D-line of Harmon-Ekuale-Loudermilk. Jaylen Warren carry up the middle for 4 yards. Flag for offsides on the defense, it looked like.
2. Offense in 11 personnel. Thornhill and Clark the safety pairing. Ramsey and Slay at corner. Rudolph hits Woods for a short 4-yard gain, Broderick Jones sealing Alex Highsmith wide to keep the pocket clean.
3. Back into 12 personnel. Pierre and Echols the corners, Leal and Sawyer the EDGE rushers. Rudolph under center. Split zone run with Kaleb Johnson finding a lane for 10 yards, though “down” is tougher to judge in these non-padded sessions. Johnson runs to the end zone to finish the rep, Leal chasing him as has become common in team periods between those two.
4. Offense in 11 personnel. Cook at left tackle, Scharping at center. Skowronek goes in motion. Kenneth Gainwell with daylight on an off-tackle run to the right and gains 5 or 6 yards.
5. Will Howard checks in and gets under center. Kaleb Johnson carry right side. Yahya Black helped squeeze the gap by pushing back Connor Heyward.
6. O-line of Cook-Broeker-Scharping-Nester-Jones. Howard under center. Boots right and hits Washington for 9 or 10 yards, Holcomb bouncing into him. Mark Robinson and Ben Skowronek jaw at the end of the play, Broeker intervening and extending each arm to separate the two and keep the peace.
7. Miles Killebrew and Quindell Johnson the safety duo. Howard complete to Pat Freiermuth for about a 20-yard gain, Freiermuth making a nice grab off his feet. EDGE Julius Welschof had pressure late but the throw got off clean.
8. Trey Sermon on the carry right side. Good hustle by new DL Kyler Baugh to grab him after a gain of 5 yards. Kyler McMichael chases Sermon the rest of the way and tries to punch the ball out. Sermon holds on but falls to the ground.
9. Rookie TE JJ Galbreath in at fullback. Evan Hull on the carry. Good job by Breiden Fehoko to beat the backside reach/cutoff block. Gain of roughly 3 yards.
10. Fehoko and Davis the d-tackles, Leota and Welschof the EDGE rushers. McMichael and McCutcheon the cornerbacks, Bruener and Harper at inside linebacker. Jamison in the slot with Johnson and Casto at safety. Offense in 11 personnel. Carry by RB Lew Nichols right side. Harper on the tag for about 4 yards.
Third Team Period (11 on 11)
1. Ball on the offense’s 26 in a third-down focused period. Thornhill and Clark the safety duo. Highsmith and Herbig the EDGE rushers. Harmon and Loudermilk the d-tackles. Wilson and Holcomb at inside linebacker. Ramsey and Slay at outside corner with Bishop in the slot. Mason Rudolph in at quarterback.
Scotty Miller gets open right side and catches the short pass. Turns on the jets the rest of the way and finds a second gear to beat Thornhill, who had the angle. In a real game, Thornhill may have gotten him but I’ll still give Miller the 74-yard touchdown.
2. Nick Herbig gets pressure but Rudolph hits Woods for a 7-yard gain over the middle.
3. Rudolph to Freiermuth but I think this one was dropped. Fautanu sealed Sawyer up the arc well.
4. Rudolph wants Gainwell underneath but Gainwell doesn’t get his head around and the pass falls incomplete. Malik Harrison covering.
5. Ekuale and Black the d-tackles. Sawyer and Leal the EDGE rushers. Pierre and Echols on the outside at corner with Jamison in the slot, Harrison and Robinson the inside linebackers. Will Howard rolls left and hits Washington for about 7 yards before Robinson tags him.
6. Howard with a hard count before snapping the ball. Downfield throw to Lance McCutcheon right side but Pierre has good coverage. McCutcheon jumps but the ball hits off his right hand.
7. JJ Galbreath goes in motion. McMichael and McCutcheon on the outside and Jamison in the slot. Howard wants WR Ke’Shawn Williams drops the pass on a 10-yard dig, possibly influenced by Miles Killebrew’s footsteps coming downhill.
8. Lee and Davis the d-tackles. Howard hits TE Kevin Foelsch downfield on a crosser for a gain of 19 yards, Jamison tackling him to the ground despite it being a non-tackling period.
9. Skylar Thompson in at quarterback. Roc Taylor and Scotty Miller at receiver with Max Hurleman in the slot. Thompson checkdown to Evan Hull for 3 or 4 yards. Bishop on the tag.
10. Thompson pre-snap hard count. Thompson hits Foelsch for another good gainer of about 15 yards. Successful cross chop by DeMarvin Leal, though I’m not sure who the right tackle he beat here.
Fourth Team Period (11 on 11)
1. Ball on the offense’s 35. O-line of Jones-S. Anderson-Frazier-McCormick-Fautanu. D-line of Harmon-Ekuale-Loudermilk. Clark and Thornhill at safety. Rudolph under center. Play-action, screen right but it’s not there. Harmon had good pressure up the middle and Rudolph throws the ball into the ground. Incomplete.
2. Harmon and Loudermilk the d-tackles, Wilson and Harrison at inside linebackers. Jaylen Warren exploits lane up the middle for 8 yards, finishing the run to the end zone.
3. Offense in 11 personnel. Leal and Sawyer the EDGE players. Rudolph talks with Roman Wilson pre-snap and then gets back under center. Rudolph hits Woods over the middle for a 13-yard gain.
4. Lee-Ekuale-Black the d-line trio. Kenneth Gainwell carry right side before cutting to his left upfield. Hearty chase by Black but he can’t track him down.
5. Killebrew and Castro the safety duo. Howard under center. Issues with the exchange, Howard nearly losing the ball. But he boots left and hits Connor Heyward at midfield for 5-yards.
6. O-line of Cook-Broeker-Scharping-Nester-Jones. Welschof and Leota are the EDGE rushers. Howard now in shotgun. Read option with Howard pulling the ball away from Gainwell. Defense is fooled and Howard scoots downfield. Probably gets caught by the safety reversing direction but I put this down as a 45-yard touchdown run. Howard showed in college he can be a threat with his legs with multiple 70-yard runs.
7. Howard again complete to Galbreath for 10 yards.
8. Offense in 11 personnel. Fehoko and Davis the d-tackles. Defense might’ve moved here as Howard throws the ball in the dirt.
9. Quindell Johnson the free safety. Trey Sermon run left side. UDFA Sebastian Castro does a nice job to work off WR Max Hurleman’s block and makes the tag after a gain of 1-yard.
10. O-line of Cook-Nester-Scharping-Williams-Jones. Thompson under center. Play-action and fires right side. Kyler McMichael blankets it underneath and might’ve had the pick but he stumbles and falls. Pass hits the ground.
11. High snap. Gainwell run but not much there. A 2-yard run as Baugh and others get in on the stop, clogging up the running lane.
Fifth Team Period (11 on 11)
1. Red-zone work. Ball on the defense’s 15-yard line. O-line of Jones-Anderson-Frazier-McCormick-Fautanu. Rudolph at quarterback, Warren at running back. Wilson, Miller, and Woods the receivers. Ekuale and Loudermilk the d-tackle pairing. Ramsey and Slay going wire to wire all practice as the outside cornerbacks, Bishop in the slot.
Something goes wrong and the offense has to re-huddle. Getting back to the line, Bishop blitzes. Another screen attempt fails as Rudolph throws the ball low and away where no one can get it.
2. Rudolph complete to Gainwell running a route of the backfield for a gain of 5 or 6 yards.
3. Sawyer and Leal the EDGE guys. Woods, Johnson, and Miller the wideouts. Dylan Cook at LT. RPO with the guard pulling. Rudolph hits Johnson for about an 8-yard touchdown. Flag on the play, possible for ineligible downfield, but I’ll keep it a touchdown still for my notes.
4. Lee and Black the d-tackles. Rub route with Rudolph finding Connor Heyward on a slant left side for a 9-yard score.
5. D-line of: Lee-Davis-Black. Robinson and Holcomb at inside linebacker. Howard under center. Bad exchange with Frazier but this looked to be on Howard and not Frazier. Howard just dropped it. Gets it back up and hands it off to Johnson who gets about 5-yards, Black again chasing.
6. Howard under center. Sermon right side. Nice job by Lee, who is stout at the point of attack. He and Killebrew clog the running lanes, Ke’Shawn Williams’ insert block on Killebrew offering little. No gain.
7. O-line of Cook-Broeker-Scharping-Nester-Jones. Angle route from Howard to Warren is dropped.
8. Hurleman, Woods, and Taylor the receivers. Return motion by Galbreath, Nichols the running back. Howard throws left side and Hurleman makes a nice leaping grab against Jamison for a 7- or-8-yard touchdown.
9. Skylar Thompson under center. Toss right to Nichols. Good team run defense with several in the mix for the stop at the line, including Fehoko.
10. D-line of Fehoko-Davis-Baugh. Welschof and Leota the EDGE players. Thompson under center. Offense having issues getting the play off as the defenders from the sideline chirp them. Galbreath confused about his role. Welschof free off the edge as Thompson boots his way, checking down to Hull in the right flat. A 4-yard gain before Carson Bruener touches him up.
Camp Recap (TL;DR)
– Lower-key practice with a lot of backups and young guys getting reps today after Friday Night Lights.
– He’s a veteran so camp means less to him than others but Jaylen Warren hasn’t had a….great camp for someone going into it as RB1. Only two days in pads and that’s where he often shines but the running room hasn’t been there, he’s struggled in backs on ‘backers, and hasn’t made a lot of plays. At least he’s protected the football. In a vacuum, Kaleb Johnson has had the better camp so far.
– WR Robert Woods is running pretty down the depth chart. Based on my notes, he is behind not just DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, and Roman Wilson, but Ben Skowronek, too.
– Yesterday, I noted WR Ke’Shawn Williams’ speed. His hands aren’t nearly as good. Too many drops.
– Pat Freiermuth made a couple plays today, though he has left some on the table, too. It’s been just an okay camp for him.
– Mike Tomlin said post-practice Spencer Anderson got left tackle reps today. I missed it. Will have to look tomorrow but the o-line is getting thin. At least Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo are close to 100-percent reps.
– No pads but good day for OT Troy Fautanu. Consistently sealed the edge. Broderick Jones looked solid, too. Tomorrow will be a better test for all.
– Rookie DL Yahya Black works his butt off to chase the football. And DeMarvin Leal has finished every rep with good effort. He’s worked hard this camp and had a nice summer.
– Cornerback James Pierre a big winner of the day. All around the football during individual and team periods. Cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. also made plays for what feels like the first time this camp. At least, in my notes.
– Safety Chuck Clark definitely elevating reps and has moved ahead of Quindell Johnson and Sebastian Castro. Given his veteran resume, that’s not a surprise but worth noting all the same.
Saint Vincent Snapshot
Aaron Rodgers chilling early before practice, OC Arthur Smith sitting to his right.
15 Longest Steelers Touchdowns
Clips of the longest scores in Steelers’ history.
97 yards – JuJu Smith-Schuster (2017)
The first 97-yarder Smith-Schuster had in his career, Ben Roethlisberger found him for a long touchdown in a 20-15 win. At the time, it stood alone as the longest passing touchdown in team history, a feat Smith-Schuster matched the following season.
He is one of two players in NFL history with two 97-yard receiving touchdowns. The other? You guessed it – the Chicago Cardinals’ Gaynell Tinsley with 97- and 98-yard scores in 1937 and 1938.
Jim Gaffigan’s Quote Of The Day
“Hot Pockets haven’t been around that long – like 10 years. How’d they come up with that? Was there some guy in a marketing meeting, like, ‘Hey, I got an idea! How about we fill a Pop-Tart with nasty meat?’”
