3 winners at Steelers training camp ahead of preseason game vs. Eagles
By Tommy Jaggi
These three players turned heads this past week at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. Here’s what it could mean for them moving forward.
For the most part, the story of Steelers training camp has been much of the same. Since the start of publically open practices at Heinz Field, most of the same players have been the stars of the show.
All eyes have been on Alex Highsmith in the early going as he routinely manhandled Pittsburgh’s offensive tackles and continued his dominant run with a brilliant first-quarter in the Hall of Fame Game against the Dallas Cowboys. In addition, James Pierre has been a pleasant surprise, while Josh Dobbs is looking to make it battle at the quarterback position.
Over the past few days of practice, there have been a few other players who have made quite the splash at Steelers training camp. Here are four winners of practice this week leading up to Pittsburgh’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles:
DT Carlos Davis
One of the most interesting training camp battles for the Steelers this year comes along the defensive line. Early in the offseason, it was unclear if Tyson Alualu or Chris Wormley would be returning to the team as each was an unrestricted free agent. With their decisions to re-sign with the organization, the Steelers have every defensive lineman from last year.
In addition, the team spent future draft capital to move back into the draft and grab Wisconsin’s Isaiahh Loudermilk, so he’s very unlikely to get cut. This means that the battle at the bottom of the roster could leave one or two of Isaiah Buggs, Carlos Davis, and Henry Mondeaux off the final roster.
In recent practices, Davis has performed exceptionally well – looking brilliant in one-on-one drills thanks to his impressive burst and speed for a player of his size. His biggest competition is probably Isaiah Buggs, as both players essentially offer the same backup defensive tackle role for Pittsburgh. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.