The Pittsburgh Steelers had a lighter day of practice with their first preseason game drawing near. But there’s still lots to talk about from today’s session.
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Camp Notes (Day 12)
– Injury Roundup: Not practicing today were CB Cory Trice Jr. (hamstring), CB Donte Kent (right foot), CB Jalen Ramsey, OT Calvin Anderson, WR Calvin Austin III, EDGE Alex Highsmith (groin), CB Darius Slay (off day), QB Will Howard (hand), and DL Derrick Harmon.
Good news on Kent is he wasn’t wearing the boot on his right foot he’s sported the past few days. That’s an initial but good sign. Ramsey was on the field today with a sleeve on his left leg. Missing two straight days suggests there’s an injury but that it’s minor. I’m still not sure what Austin is dealing with, and I didn’t spot Harmon on the field today, though Mike Tomlin downplayed his absence.
CB Joey Porter Jr. practiced partially. Most of it came during individual period but he took a couple team reps with the third-team defense during practice. He finished practice taking off his jersey and pads but keeping his helmet on as he worked with DBs coach Gerald Alexander. OT Gareth Warren practiced on an individual basis but didn’t work in team periods. Still, it’s good progress. Getting back for Saturday’s game seems optimistic, but he can hopefully return for the Tampa Bay contest 10 days from now. DL Cam Heyward continues to be held out of team periods.
TE Jonnu Smith practiced in full despite leaving Tuesday with knee soreness.
– Like yesterday, Payton Wilson and Mason McCormick were the first players to walk down to the practice field, doing so at 1:25 PM.
– QBs coach Tom Arth and offensive assistant Matt Baker talked before practice, each holding a play card and going over today’s install.
– Zach Frazier signed a handful of autographs behind the near end zone today. A nice gesture.
– With Will Howard injured and only three quarterbacks working, the center/quarterback snaps the team works on before every practice looked slightly different. Frazier and Aaron Rodgers and Ryan McCollum and Mason Rudolph were still the first- and second-string duos. Nick Broeker and Max Scharping split reps with third-stringer Skylar Thompson.
– Second-team o-line in warmups: Dylan Cook-Spencer Anderson-Ryan McCollum-Max Scharping-Steven Jones
– Max Hurleman, Scotty Miller, Robert Woods, and Ke’Shawn Williams were the punt returners in early drills.
In the punt-return challenge, Hurleman caught five, Williams three, Woods four, and Miller three.
– Running backs continued working on pass protection, hitting a big bag swung to them by RBs coach Eddie Faulkner.
– EDGE players and d-linemen going through the bags and working on rush moves. EDGE DeMarvin Leal very fluid going through them.
– Couple of minor notes from a competition period, a partial 7 on 7. Defense working 4 on 3 with four defenders and three receivers, passing off routes and picking up different combinations. WR Ke’Shawn Williams dropped a downfield pass on a 7-route while Brandin Echols recorded an interception.
– More punting charting. I missed Corliss Waitman’s first punt out of the end zone but have it for Cameron Johnston. The rest were open-air punts from the 20.
Corliss Waitman: 4.60 seconds (65 yards), 4.45 seconds (65 yards), 5.10 seconds (59 yards), 3.76 seconds (51 yards)
Cameron Johnston: 4.08 seconds (64 yards), 4.69 seconds (63 yards), 5.04 seconds (52 yards), 5.00 seconds (70 yards)
Both punters have boomed the ball but really nice day for Johnston here.
Evan Hull and Sebastian Castro worked as upbacks while Jack Sawyer and Carson Bruener served as the surrounding wings.
– EDGE DeMarvin Leal stayed active throughout practice, running gassers when his unit was in during team periods.
Leal and JJ Galbreath served as wings on the field-goal team.
– Kick-return unit looking at it from the returner’s perspective.
Brandon Johnson-Carson Bruener-Devin Harper-Jack Sawyer-Lance McCutcheon-Roc Taylor
Eku Leota————Sebastian Castro———JJ Galbreath
Trey Sermon and D’Shawn Jamison the returners. Evan Hull and Max Hurleman also filtered in as return men.
In 7 on 7, Lance McCutcheon and JJ Galbreath had impressive catches near the left corner of the end zone. McCutcheon might not have gotten both feet down but Galbreath definitely did, making a leaping and combat catch. Brandin Echols had a breakup during this period while Darnell Washington scored twice.
First Team Period (11 on 11)
Seven Shots, ball on the 2-yard line.
1. Nick Herbig and T.J. Watt are the EDGE guys. Keeanu Benton and Isaiahh Loudermilk the starting d-tackle pairing with Harmon and Heyward not working. O-line of Jones-Seumalo-Frazier-McCormick-Fautanu. James Pierre and Brandin Echols the starting corners with Ramsey, Slay, and Porter not working.
Rodgers hits DK Metcalf over the middle running an in-cut right to left for the score.
2. Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen the inside linebackers. Three-tight end set. Kenneth Gainwell in at RB. Rodgers starts to float right, scrambles and steps up, moving left. Looks for TE Darnell Washington but the throw is a little low and Washington can’t make the grab, Echols covering.
3. Rodgers out of shotgun and makes a check at the line. His throw is swatted away by rookie DL Yahya Black, who has had a habit of getting hands up in throwing lanes.
4. Mason Rudolph checks in, Trey Sermon at running back. Max Hurleman split out wide. Beanie Bishop Jr. working in the slot. Rudolph looks for WR Robert Woods right corner, but Bishop plays it well and breaks up the throw.
5. Jack Sawyer and DeMarvin Leal the EDGE rushers. Evan Hull at running back, Jonnu Smith at tight end. Rudolph hits Woods, this time for a touchdown.
6. Skylar Thompson checks in. Hurleman slot right, Roc Taylor the X receiver. Nick Broeker at center. Gun run for RB Lew Nichols, who crosses over goal line for the score.
7. Score tied at 3-3 so the starters come back in. Gainwell at running back. Trips right. Rodgers scans the field and ends Seven Shots the way he opened it: hitting Metcalf for a touchdown. Offense wins, 4-3.
Second Team Period (11 on 11)
1. Ball on the offense’s 20. No tackling here. D-line of Yahya Black-Keeanu Benton-Isaiahh Loudermilk. Pierre and Echols the corners, Thornhill and Elliott the safeties. Queen and Wilson the inside linebackers. Rodgers working under center. Jaylen Warren zone run to the right. Cuts it back and finds a crease, a gain of 5 yards.
2. Logan Lee and Yahya Black the d-tackles. Roman Wilson, DK Metcalf, Ben Skowronek the receivers. Darnell Washington at tight end. Rodgers play-action. Finds Metcalf for a 15-yard gain, Metcalf sprinting to the end zone with Warren catching up to join him.
3. O-line of Jones-S. Anderson-Frazier-McCormick-Fautanu. Bishop in the slot defensively. Rodgers back under center. Play-action again, hitting TE Pat Freiermuth in the right flat. He makes a nice one-handed snag and gets good YAC for about 10-11 yards.
4. O-line of Cook-S. Anderson-Frazier-McCormick-Fautanu. Ekuale and Otomewo the d-tackles. Rodgers under center. Kaleb Johnson run left side for 3-4 yards. Otomewo, flying over running left to right, grabbed Johnson high and threw him down in this non-padded, non-tackling session. Offense didn’t take kindly to it. Pat Freiermuth was on the sidelines and stepped up to give Otomewo a shove, starting a good scrum. Punches were thrown by at least Otomewo and probably others. Mason McCormick was in the middle of it but it was hard to tell who was trying to break it up and who was trying to keep it going. Eventually broken up.
5. Jonnu Smith goes in motion. Steven Jones pulls right to left. Not sure who had the carry but it’s a gain of 3 yards, Malik Harrison filling his gap well.
6. James Pierre and Cameron McCutcheon the outside corners. Miles Killebrew and Chuck Clark the safeties. D-line of Fehoko-Ekuale-Otomewo. Rudolph hits Woods for a 22-yard gain, Ekuale chasing the quarterback in vain.
7. Ekuale and Domenique Davis the d-tackles. Eku Leota and Julius Welschof the EDGE players, Mark Robinson and Malik Harrison at inside linebacker. RB Trey Sermon shows some wiggle left side for a gain of about 4 yards. Harrison came off a block to make the tag.
8. O-line of Cook-Nester-Scharping-Williams-S. Jones. Rudolph out of shotgun. Kaleb Johnson follows Connor Heyward through the hole right side for about 5 yards. All the running backs today — Warren, Gainwell, and Johnson — finishing runs downfield to the end zone.
9. Logan Lee/Yahya Black the d-tackles. Skylar Thompson under center. Drops the snap from Broeker. Fires the ball and complete to Lance McCutcheon for 10 yards.
10. Thompson working out of shotgun. Return motion by McCutcheon. Gun run by Lew Nichols up the middle for 6 yards. Joey Porter Jr. picked up reps here at RCB.
11. JPJ flipping to left corner opposite Daryl Porter Jr. Nick Broeker at center. Thompson under center, Evan Hull at running back. Malik Harrison and Carson Bruener at inside linebacker. Carry left side by Hull, cutting back right. Lee and Baugh getting off blocks for the tag.
12. Quindell Johnson and Sebastian Castro at safety. Kyler McMichael and Daryl Porter Jr., D’Shawn Jamison in the slot. JJ Galbreath as the Y-tight end. RPO with Thompson throwing to Gainwell for a 7-yard gain.
Third Team Period (11 on 11)
1. Ball on the offense’s 20. Pierre and Echols the corners. Benton and Black the d-tackles. Rodgers in shotgun. He hits WR Scotty Miller on a slant for a gain of 10 yards, countering and beating the nickel blitz.
2. Lee-Ekuale-Black the d-line trio. Catch and release by Rodgers, immediately finding WR Roman Wilson for a 9-yard gain.
3. Bishop in the slot. Smith return motion left and back to right. Patrick Queen blitzes. Rodgers fade ball for Scotty Miller is a little out in front, Echols covering.
4. McCutcheon and McMichael the cornerbacks. Watt and Herbig the EDGE rushers. Queen and Wilson at ILB. Rodgers the QB, Gainwell at RB. Miller makes a tough, falling grab over the middle from Rodgers for a 13-yard gain. Nice play.
5. Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Quick completion to Darnell Washington for a gain of 5 yards. Nice blitz pickup by Kaleb Johnson on Malik Harrison, Johnson tapping Harrison on his helmet after the rep.
6. Otomewo-Lee-Fehoko the d-line. JJ Galbreath goes in motion. Fade from Rudolph to Woods is incomplete. Jack Sawyer beat RT Steven Jones around the edge, dipping under at the top of the arc. He can’t sack Rudolph so Sawyer stopped, literally breathing down his neck, until Rudolph rolled away from the pressure.
7. Checkdown from Rudolph to Sermon for 8 yards, Harrison chasing. Pocket held up though broke down late, Rudolph making a back-foot throw.
8. Harrison mugs the A-gap while Robinson slowly creeps to the line of scrimmage. Complete to Connor Heyward from Rudolph for a gain of 7 or 8 yards. Harrison and Robinson blitzed; Sermon picked up Robinson though Harrison was left unblocked.
9. Skylar Thompson in at quarterback. Right guard Aiden Williams false starts but doesn’t get pulled from the drill. Checkdown left side to Hull, who makes a nice hands catch for 5-ish yards.
10. Baugh and Davis the d-tackles with Leota and Welschof having their hands in the dirt. Thompson rolls right after Leota beats Steven Jones inside and throws cross body back to the left, complete short to Hull. Just a gain of 2 yards with D’Shawn Jamison closing fast.
11. Fehoko and Baugh the d-tackles. McMichael and Daryl Porter Jr. the outside corners with Jamison in the slot. Quindell Johnson and Sebastian Castro the safety duo. Thompson fires a dig over the middle to Hurleman,who lays out to make the catch. He can’t finish it, his body literally bouncing off the ground that, at this stage of camp, looks more like infield dirt than grass.
12. Carson Bruener and Devin Harper the inside linebackers. Thompson throw left side. Jumped and nearly picked by Daryl Porter Jr., but I don’t think he finished the play. I’ll call it incomplete.
Fourth Team Period (11 on 11)
1. Ball on the offense’s 15. Benton and Black the d-tackles. Pierre and Echols on the outside, Elliott and Thornhill at safety. Rodgers out of shotgun with T.J. Watt at right defensive end. Rodgers finds Roman Wilson wide open for a gain of 25 yards. Looks like he broke free from James Pierre, who may have gotten turned around.
2. Black and Lee the d-tackles. Watt the RDE. Rodgers hitches up and hits Metcalf for 20 yards, Echols applying the tag. Broderick Jones with a nice rep sealing Watt up the arc.
3. Watt and Herbig the outside linebackers, Watt back on his “normal” left side. Rodgers out of shotgun, Gainwell the back. Rodgers’ go ball to Woods falls incomplete, Echols covering. Echols has some fun with the offense and wants credit for the rep, asking for — and begrudgingly getting — a high-five from assistant o-line coach Isaac Williams, who watched the play unfold in front of him. Queen and Wilson blitzed here.
4. Lee and Ekuale the d-tackles. Designed swing pass to Gainwell in the right flat, Freiermuth out in front. Gain of roughly 10 yards. Dylan Cook defended Nick Herbig’s inside spin move well.
5. Rudolph complete to Gainwell on a low throw for about 5 yards.
6. Hurleman slot left. Rudolph finds Galbreath for 10 yards over the middle. Nice blitz ID and pickup by Kaleb Johnson on D’Shawn Jamison.
7. Sawyer and Leal the EDGE guys. Rudolph hits Brandon Johnson downfield for about 15 yards. Blitz with defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo dropping into coverage.
8. Screen right from Rudolph to Gainwell. Gain of roughly 5-6 yards. Defended well by Malik Harrison, who eluded blockers and tagged Gainwell before he could get downfield.
9. Thompson downfield throw complete to Lance McCutcheon but is tagged at the LOS. I think Jamison was in on this one.
10. Connor Heyward slot left. ROLB Eku Leota jumps offsides and Thompson airs it deep for Roc Taylor down the right sideline. Daryl Porter Jr. is grabby and pulls Taylor’s jersey, slowing him down to prevent the catch. Daryl or Joey, penalties are issues for Porters.
11. LT Dylan Cook moves early but the play continues. Short completion from Thompson to Hull, Jamison closing right after the catch.
12. Lew Nichols in at running back. Bruener and Harper the inside ‘backers. Thompson hits Nichols on a checkdown for a gain of 2 yards.
Fifth Team Period (11 on 11)
1. Ball on the offense’s 15. Empty set for Rodgers, Gainwell wide right with Metcalf slot right. Rodgers finds Gainwell running underneath on a slant for a gain of 9-yards.
2. Rodgers under center, Johnson at running back. Toss left with Freiermuth leading in front. Not much there, maybe 2-yards, with Wilson picking his way through blockers and making the tag.
3. Ben Skowronek goes in motion. Rodgers big completion to Wilson over Malik Harrison along the right sideline for a gain of 30-yards. Good throw. Tomlin literally tipped his hat to Wilson after the play.
4. Mason Rudolph checks in. RPO complete to Max Hurleman hitting him in the chest. But D’Shawn Jamison beats Robert Woods’ block and tags Hurleman up for virtually no gain. Big play by Jamison, whose teammates are hyped for him.
5. Rudolph complete to Woods on a quick out for 6-yards.
6. Rodgers under center. Baugh-Davis-Fehoko the d-linemen. Tomlin praises Galbreath for a good block, helping clear a lane for Hull right side for several yards. Bruener on the tag.
7. Rodgers back in for a two-minute drill. Ball at the offense’s 30. Black and Lee the d-tackles. Watt with his hand in the dirt at LDE. Rodgers complete to Metcalf for 11-yards.
8. Looked like miscommunication here. Rodgers’ short throw over the middle isn’t near an offensive target and for the second time in as many days, Juan Thornhill picks it off to win the session.
9. Two-minute drill for Mason Rudolph. Ball at the offense’s 30. First throw over the middle is incomplete, Chuck Clark contesting a dig intended for Connor Heyward. Clark put up his left hand and swatted the ball away.
10. Rudolph and Heyward connect this time for a gain of 10 (there was someone in a ref’s uniform but it looked like a staffer wearing a “we have a referee at home” striped shirt).
11. Rudolph complete left corner to WR Brandon Johnson working over Cameron McCutcheon. Gain of 21-yards.
12. Rudolph finds Johnson again left side for an even more impressive snag, a one-handed snare against McCutcheon. Picks up 14-yards.
13. Johnson, Skowronek, and Woods the receivers. Gun run by Johnson as the offense preps a field goal to complete the drill. A 3-yard gain.
14. Another shotgun handoff to Johnson. Gain of 2-yards.
15. Rookie Ben Sauls lines up for a 36-yard field goal. Mike Tomlin calls a timeout to “ice” him but after resetting and tuning out the noise of the defense standing behind Sauls trying to yell at him and get in his head, he calmly makes the kick to end practice.
QB Skylar Thompson was one of the last Steelers to leave the field, working on his snaps and footwork a half hour after practice. Not sure who the center was.
Camp Recap (TL;DR)
– Offense has picked things up a little bit these last several days. It’s a small but encouraging step.
– RB Jaylen Warren not getting a lot of burn today but that might be because he’s not going to play in the preseason opener and Tomlin wants to give the guys who will suit up action. RB Kaleb Johnson’s pass pro/blitz pickup looks improved. That’s important.
– WR Brandon Johnson has made plays this camp. Primarily in the red zone prior to today, it’s good to see him make those open grass catches in two-minute here.
– OT Broderick Jones had a nice practice today. WR Roman Wilson is also stacking good days while Scotty Miller has consistently made plays in camp and should at least make the practice squad. There’s a chance to make the 53-man roster, too.
– Part of it can be situational and period/practice based but seeing more blitzes and creative looks from the defense this camp. More nickel blitzes, more sim pressures, more controlled chaos. We’ll see how much that carries over into the season.
– Yahya Black is getting first-team reps partially due to injuries around him but he’s been active in batting down passes and continues to stack positive days. One of the top names I want to watch in the preseason opener.
– Cornerback D’Shawn Jamison also taking advantage of extra reps with Jalen Ramsey missing the last two days and Donte Kent sidelined. Jamison plays with an edge and plays big and physical. Much bigger than his 5’9 frame.
– Juan Thornhill continues to make plays on the football. Shown it all camp.
– Tomorrow’s practice might be a walkthrough. That was the case last year before the preseason opener so don’t be surprised if there’s little to report tomorrow aside from a healthy/injury update.
Saint Vincent Snapshot
Ben Sauls lining up for his field goal (I think this was right as Tomlin called timeout, which is why DeMarvin Leal is walking away).
15 Longest Steelers Touchdowns
Clips of the longest scores in Steelers’ history.
98 yards – Allen Rossum (2007)
The one year Mike Tomlin had a defensive player return kicks, Allen Rossum’s best Steelers moment came with this runback in a big win over the San Francisco 49ers. It opened up Pittsburgh’s scoring in a 37-16 victory.
It was the first and one of only three kick-return scores in the Tomlin era: Antonio Brown in 2010 and JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2017 are the others.
Jim Gaffigan’s Quote Of The Day
“No one admits to going to McDonald’s. They sell six billion hamburgers a day. There’s only 300 million people in this country. It’s like, I’m not a calculus teacher, but I think everyone’s lying.”
