Week 1 of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp delivered a little bit of everything: a revamped practice setup under Mike McCarthy, a jolt of energy at Saint Vincent College, and a few names who made the most of their early chances.
Some players used the first week to climb the board. Others watched their spots get hazier.
The biggest early boost may have gone to Howard, even after McCarthy labeled him and Drew Allar as the QB3s behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. That was a clear step back after Howard handled the backup reps in minicamp and OTAs, but he didn’t fold.
He did throw one interception in a rough two-minute drill, yet the rest of the week showed real progress. Howard pushed the ball deep, tried to create plays with his arm, and made more meaningful in-game decisions than simple safe throws.
The results have been encouraging, and if that keeps up, Week 1 won’t be his high-water mark.
Brandon Smith was the most unexpected name to emerge on offense. He opened camp with first-team reps and kept working ahead of Ben Skowronek and Kaden Wetjen in snaps with Aaron Rodgers.
The fit is unusual, but Smith has made it count. The 27-year-old, who has history with both McCarthy and Rodgers, showed up with a handful of over-the-middle catches and sideline backshoulder grabs that quickly made him one of the early camp favorites.
Whether it lasts is another question, but for now he’s given fans a new player to track.
On defense, Jack Henderson wasn’t quite a darling yet, but he was definitely one of the week’s surprises. There were practices where he handled nearly all of the first- and second-team work at safety, even with Jaquan Brisker, Darnell Savage and DeShon Elliott all active.
The second-year defensive back from Minnesota has the size and speed to stick in the league. The Steelers seem to be spending this early stretch figuring out whether those tools translate in Year 2.
A few other developments were more eye-opening for what they said about the depth chart. Malik Harrison barely registered with the first team at all, and by the end of the week he looked buried behind Jacoby Windman and Carson Bruener.
For a player carrying a $6 million cap hit, that’s a hard place to be. At this point, it doesn’t look like there’s much of a role waiting for him this season.
Sebastian Castro also entered camp with some buzz after OTAs and minicamp, with the expectation that he’d get a shot to prove he could be the fourth safety behind Darnell Savage. That outlook has cooled fast.
Pittsburgh signed Rayshawn Jenkins and has also been testing Jack Henderson and Robert Spears-Jennings well behind Castro. The coaches may not have seen the same thing the media did in the spring.
The top end of the offense had its own strong chemistry story. Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf looked more in sync in their second year together, and that connection showed up over and over again.
Metcalf’s biggest moment of the week came on a touchdown over Daylen Everette, but that was hardly his only highlight. In a two-minute drill before that, Rodgers kept finding him, with Metcalf catching what felt like every other pass.
He still looks like a WR1, and now he has enough help around him to keep defenses from leaning too hard in one direction.
The best performer of the week, though, was Asante Samuel Jr. With Joey Porter Jr. on the PUP list, Samuel Jr. worked with the first team all week and took full advantage.
He broke up passes against DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. every day, including the first breakup of the week on an out route by Pittman Jr. He also flashed when Mason Rudolph targeted Pittman Jr. down the sideline against DeShon Elliott, and he held his own against Metcalf in a two-minute drill.
Samuel Jr. looked quicker, faster and more instinctive than he did last season, and after a full year removed from surgery, he looks ready to get back to his 50-start form. Pittsburgh may have found a CB3 with real upside.
Roman Wilson also made a strong impression. He has had good training camps before, but this one feels different.
DK Metcalf described it as a higher confidence, and that’s showing up in the way Wilson runs routes and carries himself. He looks like a receiver who believes he can win every snap.
Right now, he’s clearly the WR3 behind Metcalf and Pittman Jr., and if this version sticks, that won’t be changing anytime soon.
In Other News...
Pat Freiermuth Turned An Ugly Steelers Camp Scene Into A Feel-Good Moment
Training camp is supposed to be about handshakes, sharpie signatures and a little summer optimism, but a fan autograph session near the practice field briefly turned ugly when a fight broke out in the crowd. The scene escalated fast enough to draw attention, and it was all caught on a viral video that showed how quickly a routine Steelers moment can spiral when emotions run hot.
Pat Freiermuth helped turn the episode into something a little more human by stepping in and pulling a young child away from the altercation. The melee was broken up soon after, but the tight ends reaction stood out just as much as the disturbance itself, offering a reminder that camp moments are not always about football and sometimes about protecting the people who show up to be close to it. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers May Have Finally Found A Better Way To Use Their D-Line
During the first week of Steelers training camp, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has started to tinker with the front in a way that could make a noticeable difference once the games count. Keeanu Benton has been lining up at right defensive end, Yahya Black has gotten work at nose tackle and veteran Cameron Heyward has even taken snaps inside as well, a clear sign that Pittsburgh is trying to rethink how its defensive line fits together.
It is a departure from how the previous coaching staff had used those players, and it points to an effort to get more out of each body by matching roles to skill sets instead of forcing everyone into familiar spots. For a defense that has long leaned on its line to set the tone, the early camp adjustments are worth watching closely, because the real question is whether this new alignment can hold up once the Steelers start seeing live action. [Read more 🡒]
Drew Allar Is Already Showing Steelers Fans A Different Offense
The first week of training camp has given Steelers fans an early look at Drew Allar, the 2026 draft pick whose style already feels different from the more cautious offenses theyve watched in recent years. He has brought an aggressive edge to the field, willing to push the ball and challenge defenses in a way that suggests a broader, bolder approach than what Pittsburgh has often asked of its quarterbacks.
Allar is not a finished product, and the early returns have included some errant throws and a few decisions that make clear how much development still lies ahead. But the larger takeaway is hard to miss: he is not treating practice like a place to play it safe, and for a fan base eager to see something new on offense, that alone has been worth paying attention to. [Read more 🡒]