Steelers camp primer: It's time to break out the pads for practice
Each day of Steelers training camp, the Trib rounds up some things to pay attention to during practice at Saint Vincent:
WHAT TO WATCH
No beating around the Bush: The practice will be the first time that the team’s rookie class, led by first-round pick Devin Bush, will don pads in a professional work setting. The Steelers traded up 10 picks in the draft to select Bush with the No. 10 overall pick, and he has impressed with his speed and playmaking smarts in offseason workouts and the first two days of camp. But many a draft pick has looked ordinary once the pads come out. The Steelers believe Bush’s skills are legit, and he can cement that belief by continuing to excel once the hitting begins.
For more an in-depth look, read Kevin Gorman’s column on the excitement surrounding Bush’s first practice in pads.
Backups take over: If quarterback Ben Roethlisberger stays true to his practice regimen, he will be a bystander for the first padded practice. Roethlisberger typically takes off every third day of training camp work, and it coincides with the day when the players dons pads for the first time. That means more work for Joshua Dobbs, Mason Rudolph and even No. 4 quarterback Devlin Hodges.
Achy, breaky (body) parts: The Steelers have been without outside linebacker T.J. Watt for two days, and wide receiver Johnny Holton was injured Saturday. Both have hamstring injuries. The number of players on the injured list, however, tends to grow once the players start hitting each other. It was on this date last year that guard Ramon Foster suffered a potentially serious right knee injury and was carted off the field. Foster missed the rest of training camp, and the Steelers hope to avoid similar setbacks starting Sunday.
Practice time: 2:55-5 p.m., Chuck Noll Field
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Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
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