It was a day off for a lot of the veterans today, including Aaron Rodgers. With the starting quarterback resting, the rest of the group had their reps increased.
• Will Howard took advantage of the extra work and made several really nice throws today. The best one was on a corner route to Pat Freiermuth, in which he put the ball up where only his tight end could get it for a great chunk of yards. He also showed off the wheels a little bit on a read option. The entire defense sold out to stop the running back, Howard pulled the ball and took off and ran past a lot of guys. In a game, it probably would have been at least 20 yards. Howard's still got a lot to prove from an operation standpoint, but the physical traits are looking good in training camp. That's a great start for him in what's being treated as a developmental year for him.
• Darnell Washington is not just a blocking tight end, folks. He continues to impress as both a blocker and pass catcher. In addition to an insanely dominant performance in backs-on-backers during Friday Night Lights, he made an acrobatic catch for one of just two scores for the offense in seven shots today, tapping both feet in bounds on a pass to the back right corner of the end zone.
Here's a minute-and-a-half with Washington after practice:
• James Pierre had a nice day. He had two interceptions during one-on-one coverage drills, picking off both Mason Rudolph and Howard. He stacked that on top of an interception in the two-minute drill during Friday Night Lights facing the second-team offense. Pierre is one of the starting gunner in punt coverage right now. So, when it comes to the depth chart at cornerback behind Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay, Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols, Pierre is making a strong case for a roster spot.
• In addition to Rodgers, other veterans that were given the day off today were T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, Patrick Queen and Slay. Ramsey only participated for a few reps in 7-on-7, but rested the remainder of practice.
• Broderick Jones took part in some but not all of 11-on-11. He's still working his way back from what I've been told is a groin issue. Run blocking looked fine today, in terms of technique (no pads today). Still needs to prove himself in pass protection.
• The injury update from Mike Tomlin:
"Got a lot of bumps and bruises associated with this process, but we've also got some guys who could be working their way back. Esezi Otomewo could work his way back to us very soon, maybe tomorrow. DJ Thomas-Jones, same thing. Ryan McCollum, same thing. Porter, same thing. We've got some guys with some soft tissue injuries who could be more than a few days, like Cory Trice Jr. and Calvin Anderson, and so we'll just march it day by day and keep working those who are available to us and try to work hard and smart. ... Keeanu Benton and Calvin Austin III can be characterized as day-to-day. You should see those guys out here pretty soon."
• The Steelers are expected to put pads back on for tomorrow's practice.
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THE ASYLUM
Practice takeaways: Howard gets his chance
It was a day off for a lot of the veterans today, including Aaron Rodgers. With the starting quarterback resting, the rest of the group had their reps increased.
• Will Howard took advantage of the extra work and made several really nice throws today. The best one was on a corner route to Pat Freiermuth, in which he put the ball up where only his tight end could get it for a great chunk of yards. He also showed off the wheels a little bit on a read option. The entire defense sold out to stop the running back, Howard pulled the ball and took off and ran past a lot of guys. In a game, it probably would have been at least 20 yards. Howard's still got a lot to prove from an operation standpoint, but the physical traits are looking good in training camp. That's a great start for him in what's being treated as a developmental year for him.
• Darnell Washington is not just a blocking tight end, folks. He continues to impress as both a blocker and pass catcher. In addition to an insanely dominant performance in backs-on-backers during Friday Night Lights, he made an acrobatic catch for one of just two scores for the offense in seven shots today, tapping both feet in bounds on a pass to the back right corner of the end zone.
Here's a minute-and-a-half with Washington after practice:
• James Pierre had a nice day. He had two interceptions during one-on-one coverage drills, picking off both Mason Rudolph and Howard. He stacked that on top of an interception in the two-minute drill during Friday Night Lights facing the second-team offense. Pierre is one of the starting gunner in punt coverage right now. So, when it comes to the depth chart at cornerback behind Joey Porter Jr., Darius Slay, Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols, Pierre is making a strong case for a roster spot.
• In addition to Rodgers, other veterans that were given the day off today were T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, Patrick Queen and Slay. Ramsey only participated for a few reps in 7-on-7, but rested the remainder of practice.
• Broderick Jones took part in some but not all of 11-on-11. He's still working his way back from what I've been told is a groin issue. Run blocking looked fine today, in terms of technique (no pads today). Still needs to prove himself in pass protection.
• The injury update from Mike Tomlin:
"Got a lot of bumps and bruises associated with this process, but we've also got some guys who could be working their way back. Esezi Otomewo could work his way back to us very soon, maybe tomorrow. DJ Thomas-Jones, same thing. Ryan McCollum, same thing. Porter, same thing. We've got some guys with some soft tissue injuries who could be more than a few days, like Cory Trice Jr. and Calvin Anderson, and so we'll just march it day by day and keep working those who are available to us and try to work hard and smart. ... Keeanu Benton and Calvin Austin III can be characterized as day-to-day. You should see those guys out here pretty soon."
• The Steelers are expected to put pads back on for tomorrow's practice.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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