After a rainout yesterday, the Pittsburgh Steelers got in a full padded practice Wednesday at Saint Vincent College. So much to talk about so let’s dive on in.
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Camp Notes (Day Six)
– Very busy day today. Good weather, the first true padded practice, and The Pat McAfee Show on the grounds all contributed to a full crowd. The campus was full in ways I’ve never seen before with several adjacent lots open. A muddy main field might’ve played a factor but still, the crowds for training camp have been as huge as ever. A big crowd surrounded McAfee’s stage, which was on the hill in front of the practice field, and the crowd was loud and hyped.
– Injury report: Not practicing today were OG Isaac Seumalo (soft tissue) who remains on NFI. Rookie tight end DJ Thomas-Jones missed with the left ankle/foot injury he suffered a few days ago. I think I spotted him walking around on the field and if so, he didn’t have anything but a shoe on his left foot. All good signs.
OT Broderick Jones (soft tissue) practiced on a limited basis today. He took first-team left tackle reps in warmups and participated in individual drills but didn’t work in team sessions. The long black pants he wore instead of the gold pants worn in-game were a giveaway he wasn’t going to be 100 percent. He worked off to the side with assistant OL coach Isaac Williams during a special teams period and moved around well. The injury truly seems minor and that’s an encouraging sign for him getting back full soon.
The one in-practice injury I noted was DL Esezi Otomewo, who went down while helping to make a tackle during the live-tackling Seven Shots period. He was grabbing his leg as trainers checked him out. Otomewo moved off to the side and did a little bit of jogging in an attempt to test his knee out but left ultimately on the cart. We’ll monitor his status going forward.
Veteran backup safety Quindell Johnson returned in full after missing the weekend with a minor injury. And veteran DL Cam Heyward had a half day, dressing but not working in team periods. He did some jogging off to the side. All planned by Mike Tomlin to give young defensive linemen extra reps.
– EDGE Nick Herbig first man to walk down the stairs at 1:21 PM. T.J. Watt came down a minute behind, wearing slides while carrying his cleats.
– OL Steven Jones, normally one to finish dressing on the field, came down in full uniform today. The type of meaningless notes I take I feel I need to share with you.
– In his first padded practice since his November 2023 injury, ILB Cole Holcomb worked in full today. He also ditched the sleeve he had been wearing on his left leg, a sign of confidence that he’s all the way back.
– Mason Rudolph and Aaron Rodgers chatted it up before practice for a good couple of minutes.
– Every day, the tight ends, wide receivers, inside linebackers, and quarterbacks go through drills even before practice begins. Positional coaches (Alfredo Roberts, Zach Azzanni, Scott McCurley, and Tom Arth) make sure those guys maximize reps once they hit the field.
– TE Jonnu Smith, SS DeShon Elliott, and RB Kenneth Gainwell hitting the JUGS machine before practice.
– Defensive lineman Logan Lee working on some long snapping before making his way to the rest of the d-line group early in practice. Lee snapped a little bit last camp and did so in high school. Possibly an emergency option if he makes the 53 and dresses.
– Team played “Renegade” right as practice began.
– Center/quarterback pairings in warmups. No changes but noting it just the same: Zach Frazier/Aaron Rodgers, Ryan McCollum/Mason Rudolph, Max Scharping/Will Howard, Nick Broeker/Skylar Thompson.
– Return lines the same. Punt return: WR Calvin Austin III, WR Max Hurleman, WR Robert Woods, WR Scotty Miller, WR Ke’Shawn Williams, and CB Donte Kent.
Kick return: WR Roman Wilson, RB Evan Hull, RB Trey Sermon, RB Kaleb Johnson, RB Kenneth Gainwell, RB Jaylen Warren, and RB Lew Nichols (muffing one attempt that went through his hands).
– The “punt return challenge” returned. Goal is to catch as many punts as possible without dropping. WR Ke’Shawn Williams and WR Calvin Austin III each grabbed six. Here’s a snapshot of Williams making everything fit.
If you want the charting…
Calvin Austin: 7 (which I believe ties the record with Anthony Miller)
Ke’Shawn Wiliams: 6
Max Hurleman: 5
Robert Woods: 4
Scotty Miller: 3
– Joey Porter Sr. was on hand to watch his son practice. The two spent a moment later in practice talking to each other.
– During individual work, the offensive line worked on combo blocks, securing the first level and climbing to the next level. Running backs spent plenty of time in pass protection, starting on both knees and punching the swinging bag the coaches tossed to them back. Then, they did the same standing up. Getting ready for backs on ‘backers. Defensive backs worked on wrap-and-roll tackling. Quarterbacks threw a variety of routes, including 7-routes to the tight ends.
– Special teams notes. Just a couple. K Chris Boswell kicked early in practice with snappers (Christian Kuntz, Tucker Addington) and holders (Cameron Johnston, Corliss Waitman). Boswell’s longest kick was true from 58 yards and could’ve been good from 60 plus.
Rookie Ben Sauls didn’t kick during this time and hasn’t done a lot of it in camp but kicked a little bit later on, though I don’t have his longest kick charted.
– Gunners working through jammers. Mike Tomlin mentioned Roman Wilson as a possible gunner, but he was on the other field catching punts. Gunners were WR Max Hurleman, CB Beanie Bishop Jr., WR Scotty Miller, CB Donte Kent, WR Lance McCutcheon, and CB Kyler McMichael.
– Many players going through skeleton kick-coverage drills but two notable names — EDGE DeMarvin Leal and DL Isaiahh Loudermilk — were part of that group. Isn’t new for either, both have done so in the past, but two of the biggest bodies going through the lines.
– WR DK Metcalf and his positional coach Zach Azzanni looked over film during one special teams period portion of practice.
– During that time, McAfee came on the field to chat with Aaron Rodgers, Arthur Smith, and others.
First Team Period (11 on 11)
Seven Shots. Ball on the 2. Live tackling session.
1. O-line of Calvin Anderson-Spencer Anderson-Zach Frazier-Mason McCormick-Troy Fautanu. D-line trio of Derrick Harmon-Keeanu Benton-Isaiahh Loudermilk. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith at outside linebacker. Offense in 13 personnel, all three tight ends aligned right: Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth, and Darnell Washington.
Aaron Rodgers under center. Jaylen Warren carry up the middle. Has a crease and fights over goal line for the score.
2. Rodgers under center before audibling to shotgun. Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay the outside cornerbacks. Kaleb Johnson in at running back. Wide receiver Ben Skowronek slot left. Strong safety DeShon Elliott blitzes and bats down Rodgers’ pass, who wanted an (open) DK Metcalf on a slant to the left. Elliott and Rodgers dapped each other up after the play.
3. Offense in 12 personnel. Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen the inside linebackers. Metcalf the X receiver, Kenneth Gainwell at running back. D-line stems and shifts to its left (offense’s right). T.J. Watt rushes free off his LOLB spot. Aaron Rodgers steps up to elude him (a would-be sack but quarterbacks are off-limits, even in this live tackling session). Rodgers steps up and fires over the middle complete to an open TE Jonnu Smith.
4. Mason Rudolph subs in. O-line of Calvin Anderson-Max Scharping-Ryan McCollum-Steven Jones-Dylan Cook. Gainwell at running back. Rudolph hits WR Brandon Johnson on a slant to the right, well-placed in front of the cornerback before the safety can close, bumping him but not knocking the ball out. Touchdown.
5. O-line of Gareth Warren-Max Scharping-Ryan McCollum-Steven Jones-Dylan Cook. Kaleb Johnson toss right. Defense strings out the run and does a nice job taking him to the ground. Think Brandin Echols was the first man in. This is when DL Esezi Otomewo hurt himself coming in to help make the stop.
6. Will Howard checks in. Under center. Run up the middle by RB Evan Hull. From his LOLB spot, Jack Sawyer dives and grabs Hull’s legs. Helps stop him just shy of the goal line.
7. Tiebreaking rep. Starting offense and defense return. Calvin Anderson still in at left tackle. Rodgers looks right and comes back left to hit WR DK Metcalf near the back left corner for the touchdown. Offense wins the day, 4-3.
Backs on ‘Backers
Here’s each rep I charted of the one-on-ones during this high-intensity competition period.
1. EDGE Alex Highsmith bull rushes TE Pat Freiermuth but Freiermuth holds up well.
2. LB Patrick Queen swims over RB Jaylen Warren, who sticks but ducks his head. Queen shed late.
3. TE Darnell Washington rebuffs T.J. Watt’s bull rush. Good rep by Washington.
4. Nice swipe by ILB Payton Wilson against RB Kenneth Gainwell, the latter recovering a bit on the end. But I’ll give Wilson the win.
5. EDGE Nick Herbig can’t rip through TE Jonnu Smith.
6. Rookie RB Kaleb Johnson steps to the plate, adjusting his gloves as he gets ready to take on ILB Malik Harrison. Nice bull by Harrison to jolt back Johnson and win the rep.
7. They go again. Another bull by Harrison, who gets through Johnson, the rookie going to the ground toward the end of the rep.
8. ILB Cole Holcomb sheds and beats RB Trey Sermon.
9. Better job by Sermon here to anchor against Holcomb.
10. Good rep from TE Connor Heyward, sealing EDGE Eku Leota up the arc.
11. They go again with the same result. Heyward seals up Leota to win the rep – I think Heyward soon after this went to the receiving drill that was taking place on a different part of the field.
12. RB Evan Hull expecting power but ILB Mark Robinson olés him, going with finesse as Hull can’t recover.
13. Now Robinson goes with power. Full head of steam downhill to blow up Hull, a ‘TKO’ and clear win for Robinson with one of the best reps of the session.
14. Rookie EDGE Jack Sawyer dips around fellow rookie TE JJ Galbreath around the edge.
15. Can’t fully make sense of my notes on this rep. New RB Lew Nichols stepping in against rookie LB Carson Bruener. Think Bruener went power and Nichols was able to push him upfield a bit.
16. They go again. Decent anchor from Nichols and Bruener tries to long-arm/stab him. Both guys ended up on the ground.
17. Good bull by Sawyer on Galbreath.
18. Alex Highsmith bull rushes Washington. Highsmith uses Washington’s height to his advantage and gets lower and into Washington’s chest, driving him back.
19. Washington locks up EDGE DeMarvin Leal, who started to shed the block late with a club move.
20. ILB Devin Harper beats RB Jaylen Warren with a nice swipe.
21. EDGE Julius Welschof bull rush through new TE Kevin Foelsch.
22. Nice job by Foelsch here to mirror Welschof’s rush, speed to the outside initially before trying to counter with an inside spin.
23. Payton Wilson good rush to knock over Gainwell.
24. Gainwell responds well after the coaches pit them again, Gainwell pushing Wilson into the running backs waiting their turn. Both end up going to the ground.
25. One more time, Gainwell vs. Wilson. Gainwell prepares for power but Wilson mixes it up, swiping around him instead and winning the rep.
26. Nick Herbig speed/rip past JJ Galbreath.
27. Kaleb Johnson and Carson Bruener wrestle and go to the ground.
– There were two reps I missed charting because they go so rapid fire. The first rep between Devin Harper and Jaylen Warren (I have notes for the second) and a T.J. Watt vs. Darnell Washington rep.
Second Team Period (11 on 11)
Live tackling run period.
1. Ball on the defense’s 45. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith the outside linebackers. D-line of Derrick Harmon-Keeanu Benton-Isaiahh Loudermilk. Aaron Rodgers under center. Receivers are DK Metcalf and Roman Wilson as the offense comes out in 12 personnel.
RB Jaylen Warren carry on the right side. Watt dives but misses but Joey Porter Jr. from his LCB spot has a great form tackle to wrap and drive Warren down. A fantastic play for a 4-yard loss.
2. Offense in 12 personnel. Rodgers play fake and bootlegs to the left. Looking for TE Jonnu Smith on an over route right to left but the pass is a little out in front and incomplete. Think Jalen Ramsey was covering.
3. Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay the outside corners. DeShon Elliott and Jalen Ramsey the safety pairing. Kaleb Johnson carry off right guard. Porter again comes down to fill the gap and tackle Johnson at the line of scrimmage. Porter really active and strong this period.
4. Jack Sawyer and Nick Herbig the outside linebackers. Dean Lowry and Yahya Black the d-tackles. Not 100 percent sure who has the carry, I assume Johnson, but Nick Herbig is unblocked backside from his ROLB spot and makes the tackle for a 1-yard loss.
Downfield and away from the play, WR Robert Woods mixed it up with someone (edit: per the team’s YouTube channel, came vs. Joey Porter Jr.). Helmet came off. Woods is a vet who loves to block and wants camp to be physical and set the tone.
5. Kenneth Gainwell at running back. D-line of Dean Lowry-Daniel Ekuale-Yahya Black. Nice spin move by Gainwell to make the first man miss at the line of scrimmage, finding daylight and gaining 5 yards before Juan Thornhill makes the open-field stop.
6. Offense in 11 personnel. Kaleb Johnson at running back. Mason Rudolph under center. Johnson carry up the middle. Bit of a crease and gains 4 yards, tripped up and following forward by Malik Harrison’s low arm tackle.
7. Offense now in 12 personnel. O-line of Gareth Warren-Doug Nester-Max Scharping-Steven Jones-Dylan Cook. Rudolph play-action. Pocket collapses and Rudolph eats the ball, running forward a bit and ending the play. DL Logan Lee running over to finish the rep and pretend like he’s going to rip the ball out.
8. Offense in 21 personnel. Miles Killebrew and Sebastian Castro at safety. DeMarvin Leal and Eku Leota at outside linebacker. Connor Heyward at fullback. Will Howard under center. Physical run by RB Trey Sermon. Gets away from Eku Leota at the line of scrimmage and trucks RCB Brandin Echols, though Echols helps bring Sermon down. Tough run of 5 yards and one of the offense’s best moments of the period.
9. James Pierre and Cameron McCutcheon the outside corners. Mark Robinson at inside linebacker. Receivers of rookies Roc Taylor, Ke’Shawn Williams, and Max Hurleman in the slot. Howard makes a check at the line of scrimmage. Evan Hull carry left side but Robinson fills it well, hammering Hull for a 2-yard loss.
10. Offense in 12 personnel. Lew Nichols in at RB, Skylar Thompson in at QB, Carson Bruener and Robinson the inside ‘backer pairing. Hurleman goes in motion. Thompson makes a check at the line of scrimmage. Nichols on the carry. Daniel Ekuale helps blow the play up with good snap timing and penetration. Nichols skirts away, the handoff nearly didn’t even happen, but there’s no running room. “Submerged” is what I have in my notes of Nichols surrounded by the defense.
Third Team Period (11 on 11)
No full tackling here. At least, that’s not the intent. Isn’t something players always follow.
1. Ball on the offense’s 19. DTs Derrick Harmon and Dean Lowry the nickel pairing. T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith the outside linebackers, DeShon Elliott and Jalen Ramsey at safety. Brandin Echols and Darius Slay the cornerbacks (Joey Porter Jr. was okay and eventually jumped in; either he needed a minute or just some rotation). Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. Low and/or early snap from C Zach Frazier. Rodgers recovers the ball and makes a hurried throw to TE Pat Freiermuth for virtually no gain.
2. Derrick Harmon and Keeanu Benton the nickel pairing. Receiver Ben Skowronek in the slot. Rodgers attempts to throw a tunnel screen left to DK Metcalf but the throw was behind/off-line and incomplete.
3. Jack Sawyer and Nick Herbig the EDGE rushers. Joey Porter Jr. at left corner, Darius Slay right corner, Jalen Ramsey in the slot. Juan Thornhill and DeShon Elliott at safety. Darnell Washington the Y tight end. Ramsey blitzes from his left corner spot. Rodgers hits TE Jonnu Smith left side for about 5 yards, double catching it but hauled it in. Think it was Payton Wilson with the tag.
4. Dean Lowry and Isaiahh Loudermilk the d-tackles. Kaleb Johnson the running back. Rodgers quick throw right side wanting Roman Wilson on a slant. Potentially a little low and behind but Porter has good coverage and the pass is incomplete.
5. Mason Rudolph under center. Pass complete right side swung out to Gainwell for about 5 yards.
6. Gareth Warren in at left tackle. Rudolph finds an open Roman Wilson on an underneath crosser working right to left. No one near him. Gain of about 18 yards before Brandin Echols grabs him high and spins Wilson around before letting go in this non-live session.
7. Cory Trice Jr. and Brandin Echols the outside cornerbacks. Yahya Black and Logan Lee the d-tackles. DeMarvin Leal and Julius Welschof the outside linebackers, Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison the inside linebackers.
Mason Rudolph doesn’t like things initially and re-huddles the group. Offense comes back out. O-line of Warren-Scharping-McCollum-Jones-Cook.
Rudolph slot fade right side. Pass incomplete, FS Chuck Clark coming over and diving for the ball but missing. Kenneth Gainwell split out wide and ran a route, another example of the team leaning on that part of his skill set.
8. Aiden Williams in at right guard, Steven Jones kicks out to right tackle. Mason Rudolph at quarterback in an empty set. Throw complete on a curl right side to WR Max Hurleman, a gain of 5 yards. Safety Quindell Johnson on the tag.
9. Jacob Slade and Domenique Davis, returning Tuesday after being cut early in camp, the d-tackles. Mark Robinson and Devin Harper the inside linebackers. Will Howard at quarterback. Screen right to RB Trey Sermon but Robinson reads it the whole way and blows the play up. Loss of 4 yards.
10. Skylar Thompson in at quarterback. Strong back-shoulder throw to rookie WR Roc Taylor, who twists around and reaches out to make the catch for a 21-yard gain past midfield. Nice pitch and catch.
On the rush, EDGE Eku Leota beat RT Steven Jones around the edge.
Fourth Team Period (11 on 11)
1. Ball at midfield. Calvin Anderson still first-team left tackle. Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen at inside linebacker, T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith the outside linebackers. Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay the cornerbacks, Jalen Ramsey in the slot. Aaron Rodgers under center. Ben Skowronek one of the receivers on the field.
Big lane for Jaylen Warren run right side. Again, no tackling in this period, but this is a good gainer. I’ll give him 15 yards.
2. Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington the tight ends. Roman Wilson and DK Metcalf the receivers. Brandin Echols and Darius Slay the cornerbacks, Jalen Ramsey and DeShon Elliott at safety. Metcalf isolated backside with Wilson the Z receiver, 3×1 alignment.
Rodgers wants Metcalf on a slant to the left. Metcalf open but the pass hits off his fingertips and incomplete.
3. Offense remains in 12 personnel. Keeanu Benton and Derrick Harmon the d-tackles. Jack Sawyer and Nick Herbig the outside linebackers. Aaron Rodgers in shotgun, Scotty Miller slot left. Kaleb Johnson carry up the middle for about a 3-yard gain. Payton Wilson wraps him up.
4. Rodgers working out of shotgun. Jonnu Smith goes in motion left to right. Rodgers wants Smith over the middle but the pass hits off his hands, incomplete. Good rep from Fautanu to seal Sawyer up the arc.
5. Mason Rudolph play-action. Complete to Roman Wilson left side. Gain of 7 yards, Chuck Clark on the tag. Darnell Washington in pass protection and had a good rep against the LOLB. Unsure who it was.
6. Rudolph in shotgun. Cameron McCutcheon and James Pierre the outside corners. Trey Sermon on the carry and shows some physicality while rumbling for a 10-yard gain. DeMarvin Leal chases the final 30 yards to the front right pylon of the end zone as he and Sermon finish the rep.
7. O-line of Warren-Nester-Scharping-Jones-Cook. Leal and Leota the EDGE rushers. Rudolph under center. Boots right with Leal chasing, Rudolph eating the ball again.
8. Aiden Williams subs in at right guard with Jones kicking over to right tackle as Cook heads off to the side. Yahya Black and Daniel Ekuale the d-tackles. Kyler McMichael picking up a rep at left cornerback.
Botched exchange under center between Scharping and either Rudolph or Howard, don’t have it clear in my notes. Howard, I think. Ball hits the ground and Black picks it up, squeezing it tight with both arms as the play is a bust.
9. Welschof and Leota the EDGE rushers. Trice at LCB. Howard play-action. Pocket collapses and he checks down to Jonnu Smith, spinning away from the first defender in. A gain of 7.
10. Offense in 11 personnel. Nick Broeker comes in at center. Mark Robinson and Carson Bruener the inside linebackers. Lew Nichols the running back. Roc Taylor in at wide receiver. Kevin Foelsch and JJ Galbreath the tight ends, Ke’Shawn Williams in at wide receiver.
Howard under center. Nichols carry right side. Good gain of 6 before Mark Robinson tears in to throw a left shoulder, knocking Nichols down who in turn tumbles into and cuts down Ke’Shawn Williams, dominoes hitting the ground thanks to Robinson’s contact.
Offensive Line/Defensive Line (1 on 1)
These take place during 7 on 7 so I don’t have any notes on 7 on 7.
1. EDGE T.J. Watt inside spin move, gaining an edge on OT Troy Fautanu. Fautanu stayed with it better than he has in the past, but I’ll give Watt the win here.
2. Here, Fautanu wins as Watt’s swipe move to the edge fails.
3. Late swim from DL Derrick Harmon on RG Mason McCormick but McCormick held his own here. Give him the win.
4. Harmon tries an inside spin on McCormick, who mirrors and defends it well. Harmon rips through late.
5. NT Keeanu Benton’s first rush in this camp setting…his go-to club/over to the right. Punch with right arm, over move with the left, try to win to his right and the offensive lineman’s (in this case, C Zach Frazier) left. Frazier defends it pretty well overall.
6. They go again. Frazier with the sturdy anchor to handle Benton’s bull rush.
7. Nice bull from DL Isaiahh Loudermilk against OG Spencer Anderson, gaining leverage and pushing him back a bit. Anderson didn’t look terrible here but was reeling.
8. Anderson does well to mirror Loudermilk’s attempted spin move.
9. OT Calvin Anderson excellent job redirecting and handling EDGE Alex Highsmith’s go-to move, his inside spin.
10. Rematch. Anderson seals Highsmith up the arc, Highsmith spinning back late to keep contain (like he would in a real game) and sliding off a bit. But I’ll still give Anderson the win. Ball would come out in a game setting.
11. OT Dylan Cook nice win against EDGE Jack Sawyer’s attempted inside spin.
12. Cook seals Sawyer up the arc to win both reps against the rookie.
13. Solid bull rush by DL Dean Lowry through RG Steven Jones.
14. Redemption for Jones. Aggressive on-body set, the way o-line coach Pat Meyer teaches it, to get his hands on Lowry early and win the rep off the line.
15. Strong bull rush by NT Daniel Ekuale through C Max Scharping.
16. More power from Ekuale pushes Scharping back.
17. OG Doug Nester and DL Yahya Black locks horns and both go to the ground.
18. They go again. Black fires off the ball on a bull rush but the rep is called off right after. Guess Black went too early or something caused them to restart the rep.
19. Black and Nester go again. To paint the picture, Black’s jersey is rolled up about three-quarters high with his belly and basically his chest hanging out. They gotta find the man a larger jersey.
Black uses a bull/swim move and gets a step on Nester. Good rep overall.
20. Calvin Anderson seals Nick Herbig up the arc.
21. Herbig dips Anderson late, who doubled over, but still not a bad rep by Anderson overall.
22. DeMarvin Leal ducks under Steven Jones, who is a little grabby on Leal’s jersey.
23. Leal tries to spin inside but goes to the ground, Jones landing on top of him.
24. Good battle between reserve OL Aiden Williams and reserve DL Jacob Slade.
25. Williams locks up Slade, whose move to shed didn’t quite work.
26. Domenique Davis bull/rip past Nick Broeker late.
27. Max Scharping wins against Davis.
28. Logan Lee with a late disengagement while working on Doug Nester.
29. Having trouble parsing the notes on the rematch between Lee and Nester.
30. OT Gareth Warren seals EDGE Julius Welschof upfield. Good base by Warren.
31. Welschof saves some face, spinning inside and getting a step on Warren.
Fourth Team Period (11 on 11)
1. Ball on the offense’s 20. Porter at LCB, Slay at RCB. D-line of Lowry-Ekuale-Loudermilk. Ramsey and Elliott the safety pairing. Jonnu Smith and Washington at tight end. Rodgers under center. D-line stems and shifts down a gap.
Warren carry right side off-tackle. Porter in run support again to tag him for a gain of 3 yards. Warren races up the right sideline until Ramsey comes down and throws a left shoulder into him.
2. D-line of Lowry-Ekuale-Black. Nice play here from Rodgers. Running right, off-platform and off his back foot, he fires a pass on target to WR Robert Woods for roughly a 7-yard gain. Good play that felt vintage Rodgers.
3. Rodgers under center. Wilson and Queen at inside linebacker. Freiermuth FB in I-formation. Warren carry right side, Ekuale on the stop. Gain of a couple, if that.
4. Black and Lee the d-tackles. Sawyer and Leal the outside linebackers. Rodgers wants Gainwell over the middle but the connection isn’t there, the throw incomplete.
5. O-line of C. Anderson-Scharping-McCollum-Jones-Cook. Pierre and Trice the outside corners, Bishop in the slot. Harrison and Holcomb at inside linebacker. Rudolph at quarterback. Gainwell right side for maybe 5 yards. Nice job by Calvin Anderson, running his feet and pancaking his man. Walked off to the sideline, getting a high-five from Broderick Jones watching.
6. Rudolph under center. Johnson at running back. Connor Heyward at fullback. Johnson cuts up left side for 5 yards, running farther than that but Welschof would’ve had the tackle as the unblocked defender crashing down on this zone run (not a missed assignment, I don’t think, just part of the blocking scheme).
7. Offense in 11 personnel. Davis and Black the d-tackles. Welschof and Leota the EDGE rushers, Clark and Killebrew at safety. Rudolph at quarterback, Heyward in motion left to right. Rudolph complete to WR Ke’Shawn Williams for about 15 yards, chased and tagged by Malik Harrison.
Potential false start, felt like RT Dylan Cook moved early, but the play wasn’t interrupted.
8. Aiden Williams in at right guard. Howard checks in. The linebackers mug up into the A-gap and threaten a blitz. Howard gets the ball out quick, complete on a 5-yard out route to new TE Kevin Foelsch. Clark on the tag/hit. Only one of the inside linebackers rushed, the other dropping out.
9. Robinson and Harper the inside linebackers. McMichael and McCutcheon at outside corner, Castro and Johnson at safety. D-line of: Slade-Davis-Lee. Howard under center. Nichols carry and has a lane for about 6 yards, Castro coming downhill and making the tag. Good vision to cut the run back.
10. Skylar Thompson in at quarterback, getting the call from Arthur Smith and relaying it to the other 10 waiting for him in the huddle. Hurleman slot left. Robinson and Bruener the inside linebackers. Thompson complete to Williams on a crosser left to right for about 6, the throw a little behind but caught.
– Post-practice, wide receivers did several pushups. Couple of drops overall on the day.
– Skylar Thompson and Nick Broeker spent time working. So did several other offensive linemen, including C Zach Frazier who worked on his snaps against a 1-tech shade. His snaps still need more consistency.
– Juan Thornhill and Jalen Ramsey straight to the JUGS machine post-practice.
Camp Recap (TL;DR)
– Really good first day in pads. Clear the defense won again overall, even with the offense winning Seven Shots. Dominated the live team run period and again didn’t allow pass plays over their head.
Two big winners of the day? ILB Mark Robinson and CB Joey Porter Jr. Robinson was very good in backs on ‘backers and all around the ball in team sessions. Porter repeatedly made great open-field stops and was solid in coverage. I didn’t watch Porter during the 1v1s because I was watching backs on ‘backers but those drills are slanted to the offense, anyway.
– Couple of more vintage Aaron Rodgers throws today. The TD to Jonnu Smith (even if T.J. Watt had the sack in a real game) and the late throw to Robert Woods showed his off-platform and extend-the-play resume.
– But the offense missed a couple of opportunities, especially the starters/roster locks. Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, Aaron Rodgers still getting timing down with all of them. Work in progress, part of the camp experience.
– Rookie Kaleb Johnson took some lumps but did okay in his first backs on ‘backers. The standouts there might not have been as noticeable as past iterations but ILB Devin Harper, ILB Payton Wilson, ILB Mark Robinson, and TE Connor Heyward were among the winners of that sequence.
– RB Trey Sermon is a tough and physical downhill runner while Kenneth Gainwell continues to show his versatility and quickness in space and in a phone booth as a runner with his spin move to gain extra yardage during the live tackling session.
– Offensive tackles held up well in pass pro today. Calvin Anderson, Dylan Cook, and Troy Fautanu with nice days.
– Saw a little bit more from rookie wide receivers Ke’Shawn Williams and Roc Taylor today. Couple of plays made. That’s good.
– I know Pittsburgh rotates but felt like Ben Skowronek got more first-team reps today than he has in the past few practices.
Saint Vincent Snapshot
Rookie DL Yahya Black having to complete rookie chores of carrying a bunch of shoulder pads and helmets up the hill post-practice. Gotta pay your dues.
15 Longest Steelers Touchdowns
Clips of the longest scores in Steelers’ history.
96 yards – JuJu Smith-Schuster (2017)
Get ready to see a lot of Smith-Schuster on this list. Best-known for his pair of 97-yard receiving scores, he also has a 96-yard kick return under his belt. This moment helped Pittsburgh’s backups beat Cleveland in the 2017 regular-season finale. It also marks the last time the Steelers recorded a kick-return touchdown.
Jim Gaffigan’s Quote Of The Day
“Once you put bacon in a salad, it’s no longer a salad. It just becomes a game of ‘find the bacon in the lettuce.’”
