Steelers training camp: Winners and losers after Week 1 of pads include wide receivers on opposite ends of the spectrum
The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially gearing up for the preseason opener this week, as they prepare to host the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night. But before we get there, here is what we learned from Week 1 of pads in Latrobe and a stock watch.
The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped their first week of padded practice in Latrobe, and with the 2026 preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, the picture of this roster is starting to take shape. After spending the full week on site from Monday through Saturday night, here are the biggest winners and losers from Steelers training camp.
Steelers preseason schedule
- Week 1 vs. Green Bay Packers (Thursday, August 13).
- Week 2 vs. New York Jets (Friday, August 21).
- Week 3 at Buffalo Bills (Thursday, August 27).
Winners
WR Roman Wilson
Before the pads even went on, there were rumblings that Wilson was impressing during the ramp-up period. Watching him in person confirmed every bit of it. What Aaron Rodgers said about Wilson’s distinctive trait being speed was on full display each and every day. He was by far the fastest player on the offense outside of wide receiver DK Metcalf. You could see him get vertical with ease, pressing the toes of defenders with his route-running. Wilson had a little bit of an up-and-down Saturday night, but overall it was a fantastic week of camp.
OT Dylan Cook
There isn’t anybody on offense, defense, or special teams who had a better week than Cook. In as many one-on-ones as I could watch, he pitched multiple shutouts against players like outside linebacker T.J. Watt, defensive end Jack Sawyer, outside linebacker Alex Highsmith, and outside linebacker Nick Herbig. He was dominant at right tackle. The Steelers tend to run offensive line and defensive line one-on-ones simultaneously with 7-on-7, so a lot is going on at once, but Cook stood out every time he was up. In team run drills, he did similar things. Some of the best runs Pittsburgh had all week came off that right side where Cook starts.
OT Max Iheanachor
The rookie first-rounder’s week ended on a sour note after he suffered an upper body injury on Thursday, but he was seen participating in individual drills on Monday, which is a good sign for his return. But when he was out there, Iheanachor was dominant. For a guy the Steelers took somewhat unexpectedly after initially wanting Makai Lemon, he was fluid, showed good fundamentals, and displayed extremely good footwork. He was by far the largest offensive tackle on the field, yet somehow moved the most gracefully. Pittsburgh may have found a diamond in the rough. I know they took him with the 21st overall pick, and some people viewed him as a fringe first-rounder. He needs some work. He’s a work in progress. But I’m telling you right now, he looked very good.
CB Asante Samuel Jr.
Samuel just continued to have a great camp. The viral clip of DK Metcalf going up for that one-handed grab on the sideline during Saturday Night Lights came at Samuel’s expense, but that’s DK Metcalf. There’s a reason the Steelers gave up a second-round pick and paid him top-four wide receiver money at the time. He’s that good of a player. But Samuel has been going up against Metcalf, Wilson, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver Jeremy Brown, and he’s been dominant throughout.
Losers
I want to preface this by saying nobody is truly a “loser” in training camp, and nobody is doing badly at Steelers camp. These are a player and a position group I would have liked to see a lot more from.
WR Michael Pittman Jr.
I’m not saying Pittman is bad or that he won’t be good for the Steelers, and it’s important to remember that veterans often use this stretch as a ramp-up period. Coach Mike McCarthy hinted on Monday that Pittman might be dealing with something physically. But he hasn’t looked the same as rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard, certainly not like Metcalf, Wilson, or even wide receiver Brandon Smith, who had a good Saturday night. Pittman labored around the field. He didn’t look fast, he doesn’t look elusive, and he didn’t get in and out of cuts very well. Outside of some manufactured touches on screens and short slants designed to get him the ball in space, he hasn’t been getting open. So it remains a question of how healthy he is and how well he’s really performing at this point.
The secondary
There was a practice during the week where nickelback Jalen Ramsey was out on PUP, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was absent with a back issue (though we know that’s contract-related), safety DeShon Elliott was limited, and safety Jaquan Brisker was out entirely. That’s four of five starters missing. The only starter on the field was cornerback Jamel Dean, who did have a nice pick-six on Rodgers. The truth is, that secondary is in shambles right now. You can read into it and say the backups going against starters is how it should look, but I would have expected a lot more from the starters when they were out there, and the injuries on top of that don’t help.
Those are the winners and losers from week 1 of padded practice in Latrobe. Thursday against the Packers will be the first real test.
