Training camp is a time for players to shine, and these six Steelers could turn heads once camp opens at the end of the month.
Training camp is an opportunity for fringe players to make some noise and fight for a roster spot. Camp is a prime time for more athletic players to impress, as once they take the field in limited contact drills, they can shine. This doesn’t guarantee a player to succeed with the team (one just has to think about Justin Hunter from a few years ago as proof of that), but it can help them make the team and earn a role. Here are the six Steelers that should turn some heads in training camp.
Steelers Marcus Allen
Marcus Allen has had an interesting Steelers career to this point. He was drafted in as a safety out of Penn St. saw limited playing time and was demoted to the practice squad, and last season he made the position switch to inside linebacker. He played a good number of snaps as well in that role, serving as the primary linebacker in pass-heavy sets once injuries took a toll. He played well enough as a reserve to stick as a linebacker heading into 2021.
Heading into camp this year, Allen has an opportunity to take this entire offseason to focus on his transition to linebacker. He has posted various videos of his workouts, and he looks like he has added some weight which will better his odds to stick as a linebacker. Considering his athletic traits (bad for a safety but fine for a linebacker), Allen should be a standout in camp similar to how he was last season. If he can put together some better linebacker tape, he could be a key reserve heading into 2021.
Steelers Isaiah McKoy
The only rookie you will find on this list, I think the combination of Isaiah McKoy’s traits as a receiver and the number of snaps he should see as a low-tier player make him a likely camp standout. Considering his undrafted status, the Steelers will likely give him a lot of looks, especially on days when they rest their starters. McKoy was an impressive deep threat in college, and there is a chance he can put those traits on display in camp.
Receivers like McKoy have always been camp darlings. Just like the aforementioned Hunter, McKoy should be able to make some big plays in shorts. Considering he regularly burnt defensive backs in the MAC, he should be able to beat some of the depth corners that the Steelers currently have. While some will point to his testing numbers as a reason to look past him, he plays a lot faster than his posted speed when on the field.
While Hunter is stuck on the roster for a few seasons because of his camp play, McKoy doesn’t have the luxury of being in a thin receiver room. Instead, McKoy will have to impress as both a receiver in camp and as a special team’s gunner. He has the size to do this, but he will need to flash just as much in camp there as he will on offense. Expect to hear his name come up early, but he will need an amazing camp to make the roster once the team cuts the team to 53 players.
Steelers Carlos Davis
Carlos Davis had a relatively quiet camp last year, and most wrote him off as a result. Shockingly though, he beat out long-time backup Daniel McCullers for the backup nose tackle spot, and he even saw some playing time as the season progressed. By year’s end, it seemed like he had even jumped Isaiah Buggs as the first nose tackle option off the bench.
Heading into 2021, his focus will now be on proving that he can start as a nose tackle and be effective when played on 35-45 percent of the defensive snaps. No, he won’t be out veteran Tyson Alualu for the starting role this season, but with Alualu another year older, 2021 could be his final stint in the league. This would set up Davis to be the starting nose tackle next year if the position isn’t addressed.
This camp will be vital for Davis to show that he has taken another step forward in his play. His ability as a pass rusher isn’t extremely important, but he needs to make some strides as a run-stopper. He looked good in very limited action on defense last year, so the hope is that he can make another jump this year. With a full year under his belt, expect Davis to impress once camp begins this year.
Steelers Ray-Ray McCloud
Ray-Ray McCloud was a breath of fresh air for the Steelers return game last year. A group that had been one of the league’s worst for quite some time, McCloud proved to be a valuable return man and added a level of consistency to this group. His offensive contributions were another story though. While he provided the occasional big play, he was mostly ineffective and was rarely targeted downfield.
While his returns should remain consistent, the hope is that Matt Canada will use a player like McCloud more effectively on offense. More use of motion, end-arounds, and even the occasional downfield target could turn McCloud into more of an offensive weapon. As well, with J.J. Smith-Schuster showing a desire to play more on the outside, McCloud would be the next best slot option.
Now, McCloud will not go from a weapon to a legitimate starting receiver over the course of this season. That said, a better scheme could turn him into one of the better gadget players on the team. That should be evident early and often in camp. Expect to hear reports surface of McCloud doing a bit of everything in camp. Considering the style of offense Canada played in college, McCloud could see a larger role on offense while retaining his job as a returner.
Steelers James Pierre
James Pierre has already had some good news surfaced about his play. OTA’s saw quite a few reports say that he was impressing and was making some good coverage plays. Considering the former undrafted corner is slated to be the outside corner whenever Cameron Sutton kicks to the slot, this is all good news. That said, these reports should only continue to come out once camp rolls around.
Frankly, based on reports from as far as training camp last year, Pierre seems to have a knack for getting turnovers in camp. While training camp play is far from actual gameplay, being a ball hawk will certainly get you noticed. Heck, more than likely that was the reason Pierre made the roster last year. If he can continue showing up in camp, it should seal his job as the primary boundary corner in three corner sets. Essentially, he would be responsible for covering an outside corner on 70-80 percent of the defensive plays.
To be successful as a Steelers cornerback though, you can’t just be a ball hawk. You have to also be able to stop the run. Now, Pierre has the size to be effective here, but run defense is a notably undesirable aspect of being a corner. Pierre isn’t in a place where he has the luxury to avoid run contact, but he may have to work on his overall run defense in camp if he wants to remain on the defense long-term. That all said, the traits he has shown so far make him a favorite to be a camp star in 2021.
Steelers Kevin Dotson
Kevin Dotson has had quite a full first offseason with the Steelers. He was already going from a former fourth-round pick to a starter in one year. Then, the team released longtime starter David DeCastro, making Dotson the leader of the interior of this line. Finally, a bogus report came out that the reason Trai Turner was initially brought in was as a replacement for Dotson due to him being out of shape, indicating that he wasn’t taking his upgraded role seriously.
A simple look at Dotson disputes those reports, but one has to think it lit a fire under Dotson. I expect him to enter camp hungry and angry. For opposing defensive lines, his could be a big problem as looks to insert his name as one of the top guards in the league. He should enter camp with a huge chip on his shoulder and expect that ferocity to last through camp and into the regular season.
While he wasn’t a regular starter last season, Dotson was arguably the Steelers’ best lineman when on the field. Now, he hopes to translate that into a full season as the starter. Given the uncertainty that was put onto him this offseason, Dotson has something to prove this year. Expect him to show up and camp looking to dominate. Don’t be surprised when his vicious play continues into the season.
Training camp is a time for players to make an impact as they try to earn a roster spot and role on the team. Every year a shortlist of players pop up as ones that dominated in camp. Some even go on to be dominant in the regular season. These six players seem poised to have a strong camp with the Steelers and turn some heads in the process.