Monday marked the 14th open practice for the Pittsburgh Steelers at Saint Vincent College, with only one more public session scheduled before training camp concludes on Wednesday. The team practiced in helmets on Monday, while Tuesday’s final campus practice is set to be held in pads.
Coach Mike Tomlin described the day as beneficial for the team. “A really productive day for us on a lot of fronts,” said Tomlin. “Not only were we able to get back out on the field, but probably more importantly, we spent the morning reviewing the game tape in all three phases, making some corrections, some acknowledgements, and just evaluating our overall progress in all areas. And not only that, but plotting this course for this next block of days.”
The review focused on Saturday night’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where Pittsburgh secured a 31-25 win. Looking ahead, Tomlin noted that players would participate in a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday. That session will be followed by another preseason game against Tampa Bay on Saturday.
“We’ve been in a stadium now,” Tomlin said. “And I’m always interested in the step forward, individually and collectively, after having an in-stadium experience, particularly from the guys who are new to the game. They probably answered some questions that they might have about the game and themselves, and so it’s reasonable to expect them to take a significant step. It’s important that we put them in position to do so, and I thought we had a good, spirited practice today.”
During drills known as “7-Shots,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers connected with DK Metcalf for a touchdown pass early but then had two passes deflected at the line—one by T.J. Watt—and one intercepted by Daniel Ekuale. Mason Rudolph entered next and threw one touchdown pass to Scotty Miller before missing him on another attempt due to an apparent lack of foot placement within bounds. Skylar Thompson finished out with two incomplete passes aimed at running backs Lew Nichols and Evan Hull respectively; defense won this drill segment five plays to two.
Other observations from Monday included Roman Wilson catching a deep ball from Rodgers over Brandin Echols during receiver-versus-defensive-back drills; Kenneth Gainwell adjusting quickly to make a catch downfield; Max Hurleman being denied completion after Joey Porter Jr.’s defensive play; and Porter also tipping away another accurate throw intended for Metcalf during 7-on-7 work.
On injuries within camp, Tomlin offered updates: “Got some guys working their way back to us. Also had some guys who maybe had a minor thing or two that happened today. Darius Slay rolled his ankle, but it doesn’t appear to be significant. We’ll get him back out here ASAP. Some other guys managing the bumps and bruises associated with play … (Jalen Ramsey) is day to day. He’ll be back. I think he’s scheduled to participate (Tuesday). Obviously, Thursday, working against the Bucs (in a joint practice) is a big day. But again, oftentimes when I remove a guy like him, it’s about the opportunity that provides others from a rep standpoint. And so it’s been good on both counts. Calvin Austin — I’ll describe it as day to day. He’s working his way back to us and had a good rehabilitation day today, but still, at this point, I describe it as day to day.”
