Steelers' recent draft pick gets baptized by fire during practice
The Pittsburgh Steelers have put a bow on the first week of camp, finishing up their first block of practices before tomorrow's off day, and the start of padded practice on Tuesday. There were some key standouts out today, with rookies and second-year players making their mark on their respective sides of the ball. But […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers have put a bow on the first week of camp, finishing up their first block of practices before tomorrow's off day, and the start of padded practice on Tuesday.
There were some key standouts out today, with rookies and second-year players making their mark on their respective sides of the ball.
But one player made his much-anticipated debut, and learned a lesson rather quickly:
Broderick Jones gets Worked by Alex Highsmith
Alex Highsmith is a tough matchup for grizzled veterans on the offensive line, much less first-year rookies.
But when "Chuks" Oforafor was out at right tackle, starting left tackle Dan Moore slid over there, leaving Jones to garner first-team reps.
An optimistic point of view is that Jones is getting some burn against arguably the best pass-rushing duo in the league, with Highsmith working a "ghost move" that few pass protectors can handle.
A pessimist will say that he's nowhere near ready.
But Pittsburgh has told you that. Whether it was GM Omar Khan saying Jones would have to earn the starting role, or the fact they have yet to play him with the rest of the starters during the team period, it's obvious Jones has a way to go.
So take a deep breath Steelers fans, a little patience and everything will be A-ok with the talented first-rounder.
Pickett to Pickens is Only Getting Better
Matched up with seventh-rounder Cory Trice, Pickens wins at the line of scrimmage before stacking the young DB and tracking the ball over his shoulder for a big gain.
That's asking a lot of Trice considering the defense looks to be in a middle-field closed shell, otherwise known as one high safety play call.
Those calls put an onus on your perimeter players to win vertically, something Pickens will hopefully be doing a lot more come the regular season.
Calvin Austin III Can Get Up & Go
A simple crossing route that nearly goes the distance, this is the element missing from the Steelers offense they desperately need:
RAC or run after the catch.
That's something George Pickens mentioned he wanted to work on but is oozing from Austin's skillset.
Pittsburgh would do well to get him the ball early and often starting in September.
Pat Freiermuth Makes his Red-Zone Return
Not only is it good to see Freiermuth scoring touchdowns, but if you watch the beginning of the play, Kenny signals in an audible, likely a choice route for "Muth" and targets him in a one-on-one scenario.
Freiermuth and Pickett formed a bond in the red zone last season that helped propel the Steelers to late-season victories and build the momentum they want to carry into 2023.
Joey Porter Jr. Shows Off his Best Trait
Not only is it impressive to see Porter carry Austin vertically, but today was the first time we really saw him put his go-go-gadget arms to use.
With arm length (34") that rivals offensive tackles, pass breakups should be a dime a dozen for Porter.
As he ingratiates himself more into the coverage concepts and the physicality ratchets up next week, I expect even more of these plays from Porter.
The Steelers will get a much-needed day off before they return to the field on Tuesday. It was good to see the offense get back on track after wet weather favored the defense yesterday.
Broderick Jones has struggled early when faced with high-level competition, but it's hard for linemen to win reps with pads even though Jones was largely losing via speed rush.
But those disclaimers end now, with all eyes set on mid-week in Latrobe.
Steelers rookie ends career before it begins
Well that was short lived
Featured image via: Steelers YouTube Channel
