LATROBE - The Steelers’ longest practice of training camp on Thursday turned into their chippiest one, too, with the defense setting the tone, a few skirmishes breaking out, and multiple players leaving or sitting out with injuries.
The edge showed up early and often. In an 11-on-11 period, Ben Skowronek and Payton Wilson exchanged words and then open-hand punches were thrown after Skowronek said Wilson grabbed him from behind while he was blocking.
“He just grabbed me from the back,” Skowronek told me after practice. “Grabbed my jersey.
I was blocking PQ, we got into it… we’re just competitive. When you’re out here 11-on-11 a bunch of days in a row, we’re all competitive, we all wanna win.
Sometimes some extra curriculars happen after the play. But at the end of the day we’re teammates and we’ll be out there in a handful of weeks on Sundays going against the other guys.”
That wasn’t the only dust-up. Lew Nichols and D’Shawn Jamison got into a more physical skirmish after Nichols blocked Jamison, who was coming hard for the quarterback. The two went to the ground and had to be separated, and they kept chirping at each other on the sideline afterward.
There were a couple of other near-misses, too. DeShon Elliott drove a shoulder into DK Metcalf as Metcalf was heading out of bounds, knocking him to the ground and prompting multiple offensive players to come over before Elliott quickly helped him up.
Asante Samuel Jr. also tripped Pat Freiermuth during team period, then got up and patted his chest to show he knew he’d crossed the line. Even without live tackling, Thursday had plenty of heat.
The physical day came with a price. First-round pick Max Iheanachor left practice injured, and cornerback Brandin Echols also exited with an injury.
The severity of either issue wasn’t known. Running back/wide receiver Eli Heidenreich and defensive lineman Logan Lee were held out as well, both with undisclosed injuries.
On the field, the defense had the upper hand after an offense-heavy week. Derrick Harmon and T.J.
Watt each got hands on passes at the line, while Sebastian Joseph-Day disrupted a throw enough to keep Rico Dowdle from making the catch. Jaquan Brisker made one of the day’s best coverage plays, breaking on a deep ball from Mason Rudolph to DK Metcalf to shut it down.
Nick Herbig also made his presence felt by blowing up a run for what would have been a three-yard loss. The defense finished the session by winning the two-minute drill, a strong all-around showing.
Pittsburgh also kept experimenting with packages that put T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig on the field together. At times all three were on the line, and Herbig also worked off-ball in some looks.
Doneiko Slaughter kept building on a strong camp. With Brandin Echols out, he worked with the first team and would have had a tackle for loss on a swing pass to Jaylen Warren.
Jack Sawyer turned in a standout rep against Broderick Jones, getting outside leverage in a spot that would have ended as a sack in a game.
Aaron Rodgers connected with Roman Wilson on a long touchdown in team period, but the play was wiped out by a penalty on DK Metcalf away from the ball. Even so, Wilson keeps stacking productive days in camp.
There’s also a growing sense that the roster math may be turning against Kaleb Johnson. Travis Homer and Lew Nichols have continued to get second- and third-team work at the same rate, or even more often, than No. 20, and the path to a spot looks thin.
At receiver, the Steelers may still need another answer. Kaden Wetjen struggled as a pass-catcher, dropping both targets from Drew Allar on consecutive plays during the two-minute drill. However good he was as a returner in college - and maybe in the NFL - he hasn’t looked like an NFL receiver.
In Other News...
Steelers May Be Flirting With An Aaron Rodgers Risk Fans Hate
Aaron Rodgers place with the Steelers already brings its own spotlight, and the early chatter around his workload is adding another layer to watch. With a veteran quarterback of his stature, every snap is weighed a little differently, especially in the preseason, where the upside of getting him more comfortable with a new team has to be balanced against what Pittsburgh stands to lose if anything goes wrong.
McCarthy has reportedly been nudging Rodgers toward preseason appearances against the Jets and Packers, a suggestion that speaks to the value of live reps and chemistry-building. But for Steelers fans, the uneasy part is obvious: a quarterback with Rodgers resume does not need much proving, and there is real concern about exposing him to unnecessary hits before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Rodgers Is Giving Steelers Fans A Dangerous Reminder
Aaron Rodgers kept turning heads on the seventh day of training camp, looking sharp with accurate throws and a noticeable edge to his confidence as the Steelers worked through another summer practice. On a day when Jack Sawyer flashed as a run defender and Derrick Harmon added help up front, Rodgers was the most familiar kind of reminder for Pittsburgh: when he is on, the offense can look organized, decisive and a step ahead of the defense.
For a fan base still trying to sort out what this group really is, that matters because Rodgers has a way of changing the mood of a practice just by stacking clean reps. It also sharpened the contrast around him, with Drew Allar struggling with his accuracy and timing and Jaquan Brisker letting multiple interception chances slip away over back-to-back practices, a small but telling stretch that left Rodgers steadiness standing out even more. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Pickett Just Gave Steelers Fans Another Reason To Move On
Kenny Picketts journey since leaving Pittsburgh has become a reminder of how quickly a quarterbacks career can change. The former Steelers first-round pick has already been on four different teams in the past two years, with only three starts to show for it, and he is now trying to carve out a backup role with the Carolina Panthers. His latest chance came in the Hall of Fame preseason game, where he completed eight of 11 passes and took one sack.
Even in a setting designed to give veterans and hopefuls a fresh start, Pickett did not separate himself from the pack. The performance put him in the middle of a crowded quarterback conversation in Carolina, while rookie Hayes King drew more attention with a much louder outing. For Steelers fans who have long wondered whether moving on was the right call, Picketts latest stop offered another reason to keep looking ahead. [Read more 🡒]