The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their preparations for the preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a practice session at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The team alternated between workouts in pads and sessions in helmets and shorts as part of their training camp routine.
Wednesday’s practice was conducted without pads, focusing on situational drills to prepare for Saturday’s game. Coach Mike Tomlin commented on the team’s progress: “Had another good day at work, really pushing situations in preparation for Saturday evening,” said Tomlin. “Did a bunch of third-down ball here today, did some more 2-minute. We rested some more established players in an effort to get some more exposure for some younger guys. A lot of those younger guys are going to be playing a lot of football on Saturday night, and so we just deem it appropriate to give them work in preparation, and we’ll do more of that as we push forward closer to Saturday night. But I like some of the things I saw out here today.”
During the “7-Shots” drill, both offensive and defensive units had opportunities to compete. Aaron Rodgers connected with DK Metcalf twice for touchdowns, including the final play that secured a 4-3 win for the offense. Mason Rudolph also threw a touchdown pass to Robert Woods during his series.
A notable moment occurred when Yahya Black tackled Kaleb Johnson during what was supposed to be a non-contact Team Run period, leading to a brief scuffle among players. Tomlin addressed Black’s performance: “He’s a high-energy big,” said Tomlin about Black. “For an enormous man, he hustles, he finishes, and I think that’s a good place to begin from a skill development standpoint. Obviously, he’s a work in progress, but there’s a lot to like.”
Other highlights included Brandin Echols breaking up a pass intended for Roman Wilson during 7-on-7 drills and Juan Thornhill intercepting an Aaron Rodgers pass during the 2-Minute period.
Tomlin provided updates on player injuries: “Regarding Will Howard’s hand injury, he’s got a broken finger. It can be characterized as week-to-week. He’s looking at his options, and I may have more information when it’s definitive, but he’s certainly out this week. It appears to be non-surgical, and so we’ll see where the road leads us there. We’ve got some other guys working their way back to us from a health standpoint. OT Gareth Warren was a partial participant. CB Joey Porter was a partial participant, among some others. Just the natural bumps and bruises associated with this time of year, and we’ll manage it and push through these very important days.”
The Steelers will continue alternating between padded practices and lighter sessions as they approach their first preseason game.
