The number of offensive linemen who didn’t practice or left early Saturday nearly outnumbered the healthy ones who suited up for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ fourth public session at Heinz Field.
June free-agent signing Trai Turner was given the day off, and he joined B.J. Finney, J.C. Hassenauer, Zach Banner, Kevin Dotson and Chuks Okorafor as players who did not participate in team activities. Anthony Coyle, who has taken snaps at center, guard and tackle, was at guard Saturday until he went down with an apparent knee injury and walked off the field alongside trainers.
That left a first-team offensive line that consisted of rookie center Kendrick Green flanked by guards Rashaad Coward and Coyle, who was filling in for Turner, and tackles Dan Moore Jr. and Joe Haeg.
When Coyle left, it left eight healthy linemen to round out the first and second teams.
“We were leaking a little bit in some areas, but it’s an opportunity for guys to show their mettle and rise up and put their conditioning on display,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “That’s the one thing about this process. One man’s misfortune is another’s opportunity. Someone’s unavailability creates opportunity for someone else.”
To no surprise, the offensive line struggled in run-game blocking.
“We’re the more cohesive unit,” defensive tackle Cameron Heyward said. “We’ve been together a lot longer. We should win more of these matchups.”
The line should get some anticipated starters back when the Steelers resume practicing following the Hall of Game on Thursday.
Other players not participating Saturday because of injuries were tight end Eric Ebron (elbow), running back Jaylen Samuels (leg) and outside linebacker Cassius Marsh (lower body). Inside linebacker Devin Bush didn’t do team activities, and defensive end Stephon Tuitt and outside linebacker T.J. Watt continued to work on their conditioning during team portions of practice.
Fan fest a hit
After conducting their annual night practice, the Steelers hosted a fan fest event Saturday at Heinz Field that coincided with the Hall of Honor class announcement.
Mini-golf and cornhole games were set up among several stations inside and outside the stadium. The Steelers distributed 12,000 tickets for the event, making it the largest crowd of training camp.
Tomlin took the microphone and welcomed fans before practice. Cornerback Joe Haden spoke briefly after practice ended.
“Appreciate having all of your energy,” Haden said. “We missed you. It’s going to be a lot different having you all in the stadium. It’s going to be crazy, and we can’t wait to put a winning program out here for you. Let’s go get seven.”
Team president Art Rooney was encouraged by the number of fans watching practice on a humid, sunny day. It was the fourth practice fans could attend among the nine the Steelers have conducted.
“The last few days have felt special getting people back in the building and having people feel like they are part of Steelers football again,” Rooney said. “It’s long overdue.”
No vax talk for Najee
The Steelers entered training camp with at least a 90% vaccination rate for their players, meaning fewer than 10 on the roster were not fully vaccinated when workouts began.
Rookie first-round pick Najee Harris wore a yellow band on his wrist, an indication he was one the few who had not gotten both doses. One day last week the wrist band disappeared, returned for a day and then disappeared again.
When he met with the media Saturday, Harris sidestepped the issue as adeptly as he’s avoided tacklers this summer.
“Right now, I’m not really in position to answer those questions,” he said. “I’m just here to answer questions about football and worry about that at a different time.”
