How excited should Steelers fans be for training camp?

Will Devin Bush start immediately and who will emerge as the number two WR for the Steelers in 2019?

To answer the compound questions raised above, ‘Will Devin Bush start immediately and who will emerge as the number two WR for the Steelers in 2019’? requires equally compound answers. Let’s start with the number two WR question.  First, I don’t know about you, but I am not too thrilled or excited that the Steelers chose to sign a free agent WR after having drafted James Washington in the second round, I might add, in 2018.

Not only did the Steelers sign Donte Moncrief, the aforementioned free agent receiver, but we drafted another WR in the third round of the 2019 draft by the name of Diontae Johnson.  What do these facts tell you?  Well, they tell me that, although it may be exciting and intriguing to see who will grab the mantle of the number two WR to compliment Smith-Schuster.

This will not be determined in training camp, so don’t get too excited about which receiver is getting first-team reps as Coach Tomlin will probably ‘mix and match’ until the right chemistry is established. These facts also tell me that the Steelers are not sold on Washington’s ability to become the number two WR, which is unfortunate, but a reality as we head into the 2019 season.

Steelers fans will probably not know conclusively who the ‘Robin’ to JuJu’s ‘Batman’ will be until, at best, the third pre-season game or, at worst, when the official depth chart is released.  Will the number two WR be Washington, Moncrief, Johnson or will someone else rise to the occasion to become the number two receiver?  Time will tell, but, again, this probably won’t be decided in the training camp setting, so let’s temper our excitement.

Speaking of tempering excitement, I have gone on record as stating that the Steelers gave up too much to draft Devin Bush and, to take it one step further, I think the Steelers moved up in the draft a year too late, but that ship has sailed and no one really cares what my opinion is, so let’s deal with the facts at hand.

Bush is our number one draft pick, who possesses speed, for sure, and a good nose for the ball, hopefully.  Steelers fans know we need an ILB who can cover and is stout against the run.   While the excitement level for Bush is high, we need to contain that excitement.  Steelers fans need to remember that Bush is a rookie.  He may look great in the camp setting, but look mediocre in a game setting or vice versa.

I think we are so desperate to find someone who is capable of playing at the same level at which Ryan Shazier has played that the Steelers bucked the trend and traded up in the first round to draft Bush.  Personally, I would like to see him sit for a while to learn his craft before we throw him to the wolves.

Let’s not forget that the Steelers signed Mark Barron as a free agent.  Personally, I am excited to see how Barron will fit into the defensive scheme.  Will he be the day one starter at ILB opposite Vince Willams?  Will he play some at SS (strong safety) to allow Edmunds to assume the ‘sub-linebacker’ spot?

Barron entered the league as a SS. To ask him to play SS in certain situations would not be a stretch.  This would allow Bush to play on obvious passing downs.  How about this for defensive personnel-Bush and Edmunds at the LB position and Barron at SS?

Let’s explore another question about the 2019 season that begins with training camp.