Naming the Pittsburgh Steelers players who need to show up when the pads come on following a slow start to training camp
The first week of training camp is one where players have to get their bearings. That is especially true in the heat of the day in Latrobe with the Pittsburgh Steelers. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, with these three players needing a big Week 2 of training camp in Latrobe… C Zach Frazier […]
The first week of training camp is one where players have to get their bearings.
That is especially true in the heat of the day in Latrobe with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, with these three players needing a big Week 2 of training camp in Latrobe…
C Zach Frazier
Two of our three players on this list are going to be offensive linemen. To fairly and fully judge an offensive lineman, they must first put on pads. Obviously that hasn't happened yet, but when it does, Zach Frazier needs to be sharp.
Two botched snaps to start 7 Shots in back-to-back practices saw him pulled for Ryan McCollum during a drill. I chalk it up to rust and a new quarterback. Frazier was dominant at the position last year, as a rookie nonetheless.
Thinking a couple of botched snaps is a bad omen for his 2025 campaign is more than an overreaction, but he's the glue to that unit and he will need to be sharp for all 17 games.
RT Troy Fautanu
Very similar to Frazier, Troy Fautanu isn't on this list because he played bad, rather the mental errors. He was pulled from drills on Sunday after a false start, and rookie Jack Sawyer got the better of him earlier in the weekend.
What has to be remembered is that Fautanu might be a second-year player, and he should be treated as such, but he lost his rookie season. He's still receiving on-the-job training.
How he looks against Watt and Highsmith with pads will tell us about his 2025 outlook.
QB Aaron Rodgers
I know, I know. We have seen the TD passes and the beginning of a connection between him and DK Metcalf being formed. But Aaron Rodgers first pass in team drills was an interception, he had one to Jalen Ramsey, and there was a team period where he had five straight incompletions.
It's hard to know how much of that comes down to Rodgers just trying to see what sticks, and him making actual mistakes, but the team will need a cleaner brand of football when things actually matter.
![Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) warms up before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. ]](https://atozsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/99857-usatsi_24886683-1.jpg)
PFF changes their tune on Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt following unveiling of league-wide positional rankings
Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt was in the news a lot late last week and into the weekend. A good portion of that was due to his record deal, which he signed a week before the first practice was scheduled in Pittsburgh. It just so happened to coincide with PFF releasing their top 50 NFL […]
