LATROBE, Pa. — The Pittsburgh Steelers faced potential storms coming into Westmoreland County and had to call practice early on Friday, but they still got a significant chunk of their practice done on the second day of training camp.
With that in mind, what did we learn from the Steelers’ second day of training camp?
Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf connection heats up
On Thursday, the Aaron Rodgers to DK Metcalf connection seemed lukewarm, with both players off on a few reps.
That totally changed on Friday, however. In the seven-shot period, which entails the team taking seven snaps of offense against defense on the goal line, the Steelers’ offense won 4-3. Metcalf and Rodgers flashed their first connection of what that duo could be.
Metcalf ran a crisp out route against cornerback Darius Slay and caught a beautiful pass on his near shoulder from Rodgers.
The duo later failed to connect on a back shoulder throw thanks to excellent coverage from Joey Porter Jr, but the feeling between the two was there.
When asked about the touchdown, head coach Mike Tomlin brushed it aside, as he had envisioned exactly what happened.
“That’s what I anticipate. You know, I’m not going to go pep rally. That’s what I expect. That’s what I envisioned all summer,” Tomlin said with a smile.
The ebbs and flows of training camp do not affect Tomlin at all, but seeing his two new offensive stars make those plays has to be encouraging. The connection between Metcalf and Rodgers is not totally there yet, but it’s coming along just like they hoped.
Chuck Clark arrives
The Steelers have a new safety, too, in the form of Chuck Clark. A veteran who played with the Ravens and Jets, Clark is coming in as depth, but his immediate usage raised some eyebrows, too.
Clark hopped into the individual line immediately, but not only that, the Virginia Tech product also got some work in during team drills. During those drills, Clark lined up at both strong and free safety.
In his post-practice press conference, Tomlin confirmed that Clark will have a shot to prove he can play as a post-safety.
“That’s why we’re here. That’s something to be determined in terms of his skill set. He’ll be given an opportunity to prove it,” Tomlin said.
Clark helped mentor current Steelers strong safety DeShon Elliott when he came out of the University of Texas. While Clark is coming off two major injuries, he also comes to the Steelers as a highly familiar player.
From 2019 to 2022, Clark was the starting strong safety with the Ravens, though he mixed into the rotation at free safety as well. A veteran player, Tomlin says his football character was one thing that drew the team to him before inking him to a deal.
“I’m just highly familiar with his intangibles. He’s got a really good relationship with the game. He’s a hard worker. He’s a really good communicator. His football character comes highly recommended,” Tomlin said.
Playing with the Ravens allowed Tomlin to see a glimpse behind the curtain of what Clark could bring to the table, and having some of his former teammates, such as Malik Harrison, Patrick Queen, and Elliott, on the Steelers helped the Steelers buy into his intangible qualities.
Tomlin says it was less about Clark being a Raven, however, and more about the familiarity they have with him as a player through the years.
“I care less about who they played for. Because he played for the Ravens, I’m familiar with him, and I think that’s probably the thing that captures my attention more than anything, the familiarity component. Less so about who he played for. It’s just so much of that in today’s game that I think is less of a story or an issue,” Tomlin said.
Front changes continue
The Steelers have continued to shift their fronts around early on. Thursday, it was T.J. Watt moving around the formation, but on Friday, the Steelers saw Watt and Alex Highsmith flip sides multiple times, with Highsmith working over the B-gap on one play, too.
Additionally, the Steelers have utilized Jalen Ramsey as a slot blitzer off the edge, reintroducing their patented zone pressures into the fold.
Yet, it is still early in the process, and Tomlin wants to play down the importance of those moves.
“You know, that’s just part of team development, you know. I don’t think it’s a big deal, to be quite honest with you. Make them work on both sides. Give them an opportunity to work against other people. It’s just football. It’s time of year,” Tomlin said.
The Steelers appear to be following the words that Highsmith and Watt said to end last year and into the spring, which was a desire to flip sides and force teams to commit to them being everywhere in the defensive formation.
Broderick’s big year
This is a big year for Broderick Jones, but I can’t say the start to training camp has been that stellar for him. On day one, he allowed two would-be sacks, including a play where Highsmith dusted him to the inside.
On Friday, Jones struggled again, getting beaten by a spin move from Nick Herbig and allowing two more sacks. Jones is no stranger to his high expectations and is aware of them. The pads are not on yet, either, but the first two days have been somewhat concerning.
Tomlin knows it, too.
“I expect him to do what we drafted him to do,” Tomlin said. “He was a left tackle prospect and a highly regarded one when he came out. He was a young guy when he came out, so he’s had some on-the-job training meanwhile. I think it’s a big year for him, and one that we can expect him to play and play varsity ball.”
Jones said today there is not much difference from right to left tackle, and downplayed the significance of moving around throughout the early portions of his career. With that in mind, his technique needs to improve.
“No, I don’t think it’s different,” Jones said. “I’ve been in the starting lineup. It’s still the same position to me. I’m trying to become a starter. They’re looking at me to be left tackle, so I just got to focus on that.”
If the Steelers can get a big jump out of Jones in his third year, it could really change the trajectory of the offensive line.
Quick Hits
- J.J. Galbreath and Sebastian Castro are the two sleepers who stand out to me. Castro is rock solid on the back end, while Galbreath has made multiple nice catches outside of his frame.
- Kaleb Johnson’s pass-catching ability is not something he is known for, but he seems natural enough in those settings. He made a few catches outside of his frame today.
- Roman Wilson is getting a lot of work on the outside rather than in the slot in 11 personnel. Most of the work in the slot is going to Calvin Austin III.
- Brandin Echols and Cory Trice had great days. Trice had three pass breakups, and it feels like this cornerback room has serious depth
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