5 takeaways from Steelers first day of training camp

The Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off camp Friday afternoon. Here are five takeaways from their first day on the field in Latrobe.

The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived: The Pittsburgh Steelers have taken the practice field in Latrobe for the first practice of training camp yesterday.

Fans are ecstatic to watch their team again after a tiresome offseason headlined by talk of Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell.

With just one practice underway, here are 5 things we have learned so far to open camp:

The Steelers are using a three linebacker rotation

The Pittsburgh Steelers gave Mark Barron a sizable contract this offseason, so it’s not surprising to see him in the mix – even with Devin Bush being taken with the 10th overall pick after trading up in the draft.

Vince Williams continues to be the unchanging piece to their inside linebackers. I expect Bush to take this job and run with it in time, but as of now, expect a three-way split in snaps at the linebacker position.

Quarterbacks have work to do

Ben Roethlisberger was his usual self on Friday, but there is some sorting out to do after him. Josh Dobbs took second team reps with the Steelers, but struggled at times – including throwing a pair of interceptions.

Dobbs had similar down moments last training camp, but was able to bounce back in a big way. He had a fantastic preseason in 2018, but he will need more than that to keep Mason Rudolph off his heals this year in training camp.

Depth behind T.J. Watt

Watt started camp on the sidelines after tweaking his hamstring in a run test the other day. He isn’t expected to be sidelined long, but players stepped up in his absence.

Anthony Chickillo (unsurprisingly) was the primary replacement for Watt at left outside linebacker. Ola Adeniyi took second team reps at ROLB. The Steelers may try to keep Ola on the right side, but he had a strong practice. He could give Chickillo a run for his money as the first rotational edge off the bench.

Wide receiver depth chart

It’s hard to get an exact gauge right now of which receivers will be the ‘starters’ for the Steelers, but I have an idea based on their personnel groupings yesterday. In 11 personnel, the Steelers used JuJu Smith-Schuster in the slot with Donte Mocrief as the ‘X’ and James Washington as the ‘Z’.

I fully expect JuJu to move around the formation, and he will be an outside receiver in two receiver sets or when Rogers/Switzer are on the field in 11 personnel. Each of the top six receivers (JuJu, Washington, Moncrief, Rogers, Switzer, and Johnson) got a heavy dose of work with the ones and twos yesterday.

Artie Burns is playing to stay

There have been talks this offseason that former first round draft choice, Artie Burns, may be on the hot seat in Pittsburgh. He played like he was really trying to keep his job yesterday.

Burns showed tight coverage all round the field on Friday. Though he didn’t record any splash plays, he is off to a very good start in camp. We have song and dance from him before, though, and he will have to prove himself on game-day if he wants to continue to have a role on defense.

Overall, there were some positive takeaways from the Steelers first practice in Latrobe. I will be sure to keep you updated as we roll on throughout training camp.