The first two weeks of Steelers training camp gave us excellent insight as to which players are set for prominent roles in 2024 and who has fallen out of favor with the coaching staff. We don't want to overreact to the pecking order before the team's first preseason game, but how players are being used and who they are playing alongside has been telling.
Surprising standout Beanie Bishop has earned a ton of work with the first-team defense and is already on track to lock up a roster spot, barring an injury. Unfortunately, plenty of other players are trending in the wrong direction and have already plummeted on Pittsburgh's depth chart in the first two weeks of Steelers training camp.
CB Cory Trice Jr.
After making a full recovery from the ACL tear he suffered in training camp last year, I was optimistic that Cory Trice Jr. would catch the eye of the coaching staff during practices this summer. That hasn't been the case. The 6'3'' cornerback is playing without a knee brace, but he hasn't done much to wow Mike Tomlin.
As a result, Trice has been running primarily with the third-team defense. This is not what we wanted to see from the remarkable athlete and former Purdue standout. Despite his status as a seventh-round pick, fans had high hopes for Trice, but he's not meeting lofty expectations. Instead, he's tumbling down the depth chart.
WR Quez Watkins
When the Steelers signed Quez Watkins during the 2024 offseason, many assumed he would carve out a role in Pittsburgh as a receiver who could play in the slot and on the outside while also fielding some kicks. However, two weeks into training camp, Watkins is firmly on the roster bubble.
The pecking order at Steelers camp has taught us that Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson clearly have the edge to be the starting wide receivers alongside George Pickens. As far as backups go, Dez Fitzpatrick has the ability to be a special teams defenseman, while Scotty Miller has arguably done more than Watkins in camp so far. Things aren't looking promising for Watkins so far.
DL Dean Lowry
It's hard to climb the depth chart when you don't see the field. Dean Lowry has spent the first two weeks of Steelers training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP). Though Lowry is a proven commodity who has started 84 NFL games (most coming with the Green Bay Packers), the 30-year-old is sliding down the depth chart during his absence.
DeMarvin Leal has been on fire so far. The 23-year-old was Pittsburgh's third-round pick in 2022 and is finally coming alive. Lowry and Leal -- along with players like Isaiahh Loudermilk and rookie Logan Lee -- could each be fighting for a rotational role on the defensive line, and Lowry isn't helping his cause as he watches from the sidelines.
LB Cole Holcomb
There's no guarantee that Cole Holcomb will return in a Steelers uniform. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently said in a chat transcript that Pittsburgh could waive Holcomb before the start of the season. If the veteran linebacker does stick around, he will have an uphill battle.
If he does return, Holcomb has an uphill battle to reclaim his role with the team. Patrick Queen leaped Holcomb on the depth chart the moment he was signed, but Payton Wilson's impressive play at Steelers training camp could bump Holcomb even further back on the depth chart. The status of Holcomb's health is still unclear, but he has already tumbled down the depth chart as he watches practice in street clothes.