Day 1 of Steelers training camp didn’t deliver fireworks, but it did hand out a few early clues about who’s trending up and who’s still searching for traction.
Pittsburgh opened camp at Saint Vincent College under new head coach Mike McCarthy, with the team working in helmets and shorts as the NFL’s ramp-up period gets underway. There won’t be pads this week, and there wasn’t any tackling on Day 1, but there was still enough action to separate the encouraging from the underwhelming.
Roman Wilson set the tone right away by catching the first pass of camp, and that wasn’t the only time he popped. A few plays later, he hauled in a diving grab from Aaron Rodgers, and from there the wideout looked like the most involved receiver on the field.
His route running and comfort in the offense stood out in a way they didn’t a year ago. It’s still early, but Wilson’s start gave some real weight to the buzz about his confidence.
If he’s going to claim the WR3 job, this was the kind of first step he needed.
Another early camp name worth tracking is Brandon Smith, who unexpectedly found himself with the first-team offense and made that opportunity count. He worked over the middle for a strong catch from Rodgers, then followed it with a clean back-shoulder grab on the next rep.
Smith kept looking sharp as practice went on, both as a route runner and as a target. If this keeps up, he’ll force his way onto the coaching staff’s radar.
Darnell Savage also turned heads, even if he wasn’t someone many expected to make an early impression. The safety looked fast and bigger than expected, and his best moment came when Rodgers tried to throw toward the end zone and Savage flew in to knock it away.
With DeShon Elliott taking things slowly because of his knee/hamstring injury, Savage and Jaquan Brisker are working as the starting safeties in camp. Savage earned a clean slate on Day 1.
At tight end, the rookie to keep an eye on is Jaheim Bell. The undrafted Florida State product looked smooth in his routes, reliable with his hands and quick for the position. Along with Robert Tonyan, he was one of the better backup tight ends on display.
There was also a strong opening showing from Asante Samuel Jr., who looks like a real candidate to have a big season. A full year removed from his neck injury, he appeared quick and slippery in coverage, and his instincts were obvious.
He broke up passes from both Rodgers and Mason Rudolph multiple times. His best play came on a quick out to Michael Pittman Jr., when he jumped the route and got a hand on the ball.
Samuel Jr. is set to stay at starting outside cornerback while Jalen Ramsey (knee) and Joey Porter Jr. (back) are on the PUP list, giving him a chance to build on this start.
If there was a clear downside to the first practice, it came at quarterback. Drew Allar’s final throw of the day was his best, but only after a rough stretch that included two nearly intercepted passes and an actual interception forced into coverage because the drill was dead.
He also came up short on a Hail Mary during a two-minute drill. Rodgers never produced a big play, Mason Rudolph didn’t stand out, and Will Howard was quiet as well.
The defense had the upper hand, and none of the quarterbacks delivered the kind of moment everyone was waiting for.
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