The Steelers’ annual night practice at St. Vincent College delivered the kind of Saturday scene that has become part of training camp tradition in Latrobe. Nearly 8,500 fans packed in to watch, and while the physical tone was different under new head coach Mike McCarthy than it had been during Mike Tomlin’s 19 years at the helm, there was still plenty to take away from the show.
The biggest positives came from the young quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph remain the established names at the top of the depth chart, but Will Howard and Drew Allar are the unknowns that make this part of camp worth watching.
On Saturday, both flashed why they’ve drawn attention. Howard put together what Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot described as one of his sharpest days, while Allar displayed his arm talent even if his performance was a bit less consistent.
The battle behind the veterans is far from settled, but both young passers handled the lights well.
The secondary also made its presence felt in a major way. Pittsburgh’s defensive backfield has been a weak point more often than not in recent seasons, and Omar Khan has clearly tried to address that.
Free agent addition Jamel Dean, who has had a mostly uninspiring camp, produced one of the night’s signature moments when he picked off Aaron Rodgers and took it back for a touchdown. Not long after, rookie cornerback Daylen Everette kept his strong camp rolling with a near interception of Mason Rudolph that could have gone all the way the other direction.
Add in several other solid defensive back plays throughout the night, and it was a strong outing for a unit trying to build momentum.
There were also encouraging signs from two young defenders who could matter a lot for Pittsburgh moving forward. Payton Wilson continued the recent surge he’s shown in practice, making several nice plays against the run and showing some burst as a pass rusher in individual work. Derrick Harmon also turned in a notable night up front, where he imposed himself against the run.
The Steelers still have work to do before next week’s first preseason game, but Saturday’s practice offered a useful glimpse at where some of the younger pieces are starting to emerge. If Wilson and Harmon keep taking steps and the secondary keeps stacking plays like it did under the lights, Pittsburgh’s defense could have a much higher ceiling than it has in recent years.
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