Steelers Training Camp: Losers from week one of pads
The dog days of training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers are seemingly over. An off day today, followed by a short week before the team travels to Tampa Bay to face the Bucs in their first preseason game, today is the perfect day to take the temperature of the roster. And with Pittsburgh releasing their […]
The dog days of training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers are seemingly over.
An off day today, followed by a short week before the team travels to Tampa Bay to face the Bucs in their first preseason game, today is the perfect day to take the temperature of the roster.
And with Pittsburgh releasing their first official depth chart of 2023, they just told you all you need to know about the rookie class:
Losers From Week one of Pads
Rookies:
Not only were no rookies named to starting roles, but players like Keeanu Benton and Darnell Washington find themselves buried down the depth chart, running with the third and fourth string respectively.
And while Joey Porter Jr. has been the best of the bunch, veteran corner Levi Wallace is playing great ball in camp and is in his prime at 28 years old.
The others will certainly have an uphill climb to see real playing time come the fall, and that includes first-round pick Broderick Jones, who is firmly behind Dan Moore Jr. in the race to see who wins the left tackle position.
Defensive Backs:
It's tough to call this group "losers" based on their play on the field, but the truth is the Steelers have had two weeks of practices and are yet to log one that includes the trio of Keanu Neal, Damontae Kazee, and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Minkah was fully engaged in practice this weekend after dealing with a personal matter, but Kazee hasn't practiced in almost 10 days, and Keanu Neal had a slow week after sustaining some sort of lower-body injury.
And when you don't have all your guys on the field, that hurts the communication and chemistry building that the first-team secondary desperately needs.
Levi Wallace and Minkah are the only players that have played significant roles as starters for Pittsburgh, making this maturation process invaluable for the defense backs.
Offensive Tackles:
Now, there's a sound argument to make that Pittsburgh's tackles are facing one of, if not the best group of pass rushers in the NFL.
Even still, the group has largely struggled on both sides, whether they are rookies or veterans.
The pass rushers had fun in week one of camp without pads, but when it became time to see who would really win in padded team drills, the defensive front didn't disappoint, turning the tackles into turnstiles.
Linebackers
While this unit has successfully accomplished Pittsburgh’s offseason mission to get back to their brute ways, it has clearly come at the cost of coverage ability, something I have predicted since the offseason.
Pittsburgh's backs have terrorized the group in one-on-one drills with Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, and Anthony McFarland all taking the backers for a ride down the field on deep shots.
Hopefully, the unit is just finding their sea legs, otherwise, they will be a clear target for opposing offenses come Sundays.
So, while these groups leave the first, and most pivotal portion of camp with more questions than answers, it's not all doom and gloom. The rookie class has to take their lumps, and there are serviceable starters in front of them.
The defensive backs have been banged up and the tackles and backers have underperformed, but they are facing some of the team's best position groups on opposing sides.
Look for these players and units to turn it up a notch before camp breaks in 10 days.
Steelers Training Camp Day 10: UDFAs get a shot, a new connection builds
All the sights and sounds from the final practice of the week
Featured image via: © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
