The Pittsburgh Steelers are already 'winners' for escaping the first week of training camp practices without suffering a notable injury (knock on wood). During the NFL's ramp-up period, it's hard to glean too much from non-contact football in shorts. But with Mike McCarthy noting that this team will have no live-tackling sessions, we'd better get used to it.
Regardless, it was easy to tell which players stood out in a positive light and who still have work to do. And some of this isn't necessarily based on impressive or disappointing performances; rather, where players are falling in the pecking order of the depth chart.
As the pads come on this week, there's still more than enough time for roles to shift, and we're still over a week away from the first preseason game. But after one week of Steelers training camp, these are the players who stood out for bad or for good.
The first week of camp is already reshaping Pittsburgh Steelers roster battles
Winner: Asante Samuel Jr.
Asante Samuel Jr.'s impact at training camp has been undeniable so far. The veteran cornerback has taken advantage of the absence of Joey Porter Jr. by routinely getting his hands on the football to break up passes. Samuel's awareness in coverage and closing speed have been spectacular so far.
When Porter and Jaylen Ramsey return to the field, it will be interesting to see how Samuel's responsibilities change. But Samuel has already played himself into the secondary rotation and could carve out bigger responsibilities than anyone expected if he keeps up the momentum.
Loser: Malik Harrison
Before training camp, I talked about how the Steelers might have too much redundancy at inside linebacker with Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison. It turns out, they might feel the same way. Harrison has been the linebacker visibly squeezed out of the rotation so far, and even second-year special teams ace Carson Bruener is running ahead of Harrison on defense so far.
This isn't necessarily a death sentence to his Steelers career yet, but it's not a good sign for a veteran already on thin ice. And it's worth mentioning that Pittsburgh could save $4.75 million by cutting him loose, per Over the Cap. Harrison needs to 'wow', but so far, he's on the outside looking in.
Winner: Roman Wilson
Roman Wilson hasn't been flawless. There have been a few miscues early in camp. But outside of that, he's doing everything fans could have hoped for. Wilson has shown off the quickness and separation ability that nobody else on the team possesses at the position. This is what had fans so optimistic about him in the first place.
While Germie Bernard has also had some strong moments to begin camp, it looks like Wilson is going to get the first crack at landing the WR3 spot and the team's starting slot receiver in '11' personnel. He needs to keep up the momentum if he wants to keep Bernard off his heels.
Loser: Sebastian Castro
Sebastian Casto made a splash interception during 11-on-11s at Steelers training camp, picking off second-year quarterback Will Howard on an air-mailed throw. But even with that big play, things aren't looking good for the former undrafted free agent.
The Steelers recently released veteran safety Darnell Savage only to sign Rayshawn Jenkins, who has started 91 games over the past seven seasons and recording 11 interceptions during that span. Pittsburgh clearly wasn't content with their safety depth. Castro was already a long shot to crack the roster, but his chances now look even grimmer.
Winner: Spencer Anderson
We could be looking at a different story early in the season, but for now, Spencer Anderson is the clear frontrunner to land the starting right guard role. In fact, the 2023 Omar Khan draft pick ran exclusively with the first-team offensive line during the first week of Steelers camp.
When the pads come on this week, we'll get a better look at Anderson and how he fares against the competition, but he has to be feeling good right now.
Loser: Gennings Dunker
As a third-round investment in the 2026 NFL Draft, many fans expected Gennings Dunker to compete for the starting job in his first training camp. So far, that hasn't been the case. Though we are early in Steelers training camp, Dunker has been running as the third-team right guard.
He will have to work his way up the ladder over the next few weeks if he wants to have a shot at competing with Anderson before the start of the season. As of now, his most likely path is beginning the 2026 season as a backup right guard.
Winner: DK Metcalf
We know who DK Metcalf is at this stage of his NFL career, but we needed to see improvement from the heavy trade investment. Thankfully, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Metcalf have been on the same page early at Steelers camp, and Metcalf has made one big play after the next.
His highlight of Week 1 of training camp was a back-shoulder catch where he fought back through the defender to secure the football. This connection looks optimistic, and with Mike McCarthy calling the plays, Metcalf could see a spike in both production and efficiency in 2026.
Winner: Drew Allar
I know that Drew Allar has to do the routine things routinely (to borrow a Tomlin-ism from the former Steelers head coach), but I'm loving the fact that he let the football rip down the field and over the middle on numerous occasions during Week 1 of Steelers training camp.
If Allar wants to reach his potential, he can't shy away from making big plays, and what better time to practice what he can get away with than at training camp? I can live with the inconsistencies from a 22-year-old rookie quarterback if it means he's flashing big-play upside. It will be up to Allar and McCarthy to harness that.
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