It wasn't the best of days in Latrobe for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Fresh off of two days in pads, the team was only in helmets and shorts, issuing a rest day for most of their key players. 

And while days like today aren't what you want to see on the regular, they give us takeaways that we can build off of:

Vets Take it Easy

Following a high-paced two days in Latrobe, the Steelers took the pads off and told veterans like T.J. Watt, Elandon Roberts, Patrick Peterson, Cam Heyward, and many others to take a load off. 



That didn't mean the day was important though, casting the spotlight on some names you need to know:

Safety is Paper Thin

The primary concern in Steelers camp has to be the state of the safety position. Even if it was not a veteran's day off, the Steelers would have been without Minkah Fitzpatrick, Keanu Neal, and Damontae Kazee. 



Fitzpatrick continues to be dismissed for personal reasons, while Kazee is nursing an ankle injury, and Neal left two days of pads pretty battered and bruised. 

The good news is nothing seems serious, (though we are unaware of Minkah's situation and wish him the best) meaning you should expect these three to be on the field when it matters most.

Butler Can’t Bring it Down

With so many veterans including wide receivers Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson having the day off, that put an onus on everyone not named George Pickens to show what they were made of. 

But unfortunately, there were a lot of balls on the ground, and one rep where former XFL star Hakeem Butler could have separated himself on an up-ball against Joey Porter Jr., but the rookie came down with it and sealed the pass for an interception. 



Butler had three drops on the day, with the final one making coach Tomlin echo:



"Make routine plays, routinely."



These days will be few and far between in camp, so hopefully on the next veteran day off the Steeler's backup weapons come to play. 

Backup Corners Seize the Day

Since Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace were excused, that meant the only presumptive starter in the cornerback unit that was on the field was Joey Porter Jr. 



Well, James Pierre and Madre Harper seemingly knew what that meant, with both putting together stellar practices in one on ones, two on two, and team drills, securing multiple pass breakups and even a forced fumble for Harper. 



The more playable corners you have the better, so hopefully these two continue the trend throughout camp and into the preseason. 

Iron Sharpens Iron

Unless you have been living under a rock, surely you have seen the jaw-dropping grab that George Pickens made over Joey Porter Jr. on Tuesday.



That continued today with Pickens going three for three against the rookie, once on a deep ball where Porter Jr. was also flagged, a second time where Porter Jr. got his hands on the ball but Pickens still came down with it, and then a third time where Pickens just beat him down the sideline. 

But before you get worried about Porter Jr. this is something I foreshadowed, especially when you're being thrown into the fire against one of the league's best young wideouts. 

These two are pushing each other every rep and only making one another better, as Porter has often been in excellent position, only losing because Pickens is…



Well, an alien. 

And Porter Jr. has been an island corner everywhere but against Pickens, including today when he ended the two-minute period with an interception of Kenny Pickett that saw him jump a route. 



So just be patient with Porter Jr., he's coming along just fine. 

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So while today will likely be forgotten in the grand scheme of the Steelers season, these are the days where it matters. Surely tired and dragging as we hit one official week of practice, this stretch of camp was always going to be the hardest for Pittsburgh. 

Luckily for both them and their fans, the coaching staff is an experienced one, and they knew to pull back the reigns on their veterans, making sure they mitigated the ever-growing injury list. 



And while the Steelers aren't off again until Monday, tomorrow's practice will have a special "Friday feel" to it, considering it's the annual "Friday Night Lights" practice at camp. The energy will surely be higher as we all look forward to the nostalgic event. 

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