We are a little over a month away before the Steelers make their move to Latrobe to kick off training camp. It is going to be another hot and muggy summer in Pennsylvania and these players will have a lot of internal battles in the midst of it. Plenty of talents throughout the black and gold's history have been made on the fields of Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Each year there is a player revealed that sticks out that many were not expecting much from. Who will be that player this time around? That jury is still set to be made. Many positions have a lot of things to be settled in terms of depth and starting snaps across this roster. It should be a competitive camp full of players that stick out.
A rookie defensive lineman could impress throughout training camp
Keeanu Benton was the second choice for the Steelers in the second round of this past NFL draft. He was a nice get at that point in the selection process and should provide two different roles for this defense in 2023. Benton should be good enough to become the starter at nose tackle and play a significant chunk of snaps at defensive end as well.
When it comes to the battle in the trenches, you truly do not know the type of players you have on either side of the ball until the pads come on. Benton has shown his great athletic ability during the OTA portion of the offseason, but that will change once the pads come on. Everyone looks good in shorts, but it's when the pads come on that will make the player.
A tight end not named Pat Freiermuth could be a star for the Steelers
There should be high expectations for Pittsburgh's incoming class of rookies. They have graded out nicely and the Steelers overall draft grades have been off the charts. Things could change from when a rookie is taken in the draft compared to when they suit up to contribute for their club.
One player that has gotten a lot of interest during OTA's is Darnell Washington, the Steelers third round selection this past draft. He is a big target that is not afraid to stick his nose in the run blocking portion of his job description. The tight end room got a huge upgrade at depth behind Pat Freiermuth and that could lead to multiple tight ends on the field at once.
Adding an all-around tight end behind Freiermuth was too hard to pass on with the kind of value that Washington held at that point in the draft. he should be able to command a significant chunk of snaps on offense from the get-go. Washington is a huge target that should be able to be a consistent contributor in the passing game as well as the blocking portion.
He will turn heads as soon as fans see him walk onto the field with the size that he walks the earth with. Washington is still only 21 years old, and he towers at a staggering six foot seven inches and 265 pounds. This rookie should be able to make plays all over the field and chip in during the special teams’ portions of practice too.
A returning starter at middle linebacker could make a splash in year two
Middle linebacker would not be considered a position of strength for Pittsburgh this upcoming season. Cole Holcomb seems like the top dog in that room, and that might be a slight upgrade over what the club was working with last year around this time. That does not mean that Holcomb is going to be a pro bowler, but he should be better than the options from last season.
This is still an area that the Steelers would like to add to via free agency or trade if possible. They could use an upgrade and some unexpected names could come up in talks as training camp and the rest of the pre-season pushes further. One internal option that could have some underlying hope to take a step forward in year two is Mark Robinson.
He had a rookie year that saw him make the team to mostly ride the bench for the majority of 2022. He would get some chances at a decent number of snaps later in his rookie campaign, but those were a small sample size. Robinson showed some promising things when he was on the field, but he also showed some mistakes as well.
Elandon Roberts will likely be the other linebacker in the middle next to Holcomb when the defensive schematics call for it. Robinson will have to take that next step this year if he wants a consistent role on this defense. He is a faster option than some other players at his position and does not hesitate to lay the boom when called upon.
A year of injury derailed a receivers rookie season with the Steelers
It was a tough break for a couple of receivers during training camp last year as both Anthony Miller and Calvin Austin III lost their seasons due to injury. They could not even suit up for a pre-season game before their injuries occurred. Both enjoyed good camps up to that point only to have it derailed by their injuries.
Austin was even more disappointing as he was having a stellar camp that saw him use his speed to routinely make plays every day. Now he returns from his injury from last year with hopes of making a significant impact on offense this time around. He has also shown the ability to return kicks and punts in college so that could add another wrinkle to this club.
With an entire year of rest and healing, Austin should be able to jump right back into the swing of things. His speed is nearly unmatched on the football field, and he could play all over the field as a receiver on offense. Matt Canada loves to call jet sweeps and that could be another thing this player could provide to this offense.
There are plenty of receivers full of talent on Pittsburgh's roster, which will lead to tough decisions about their positioning on the roster. Austin seems to be a near lock to make the club, but his role still needs to be ironed out. If he can have a similar type of camp as last year, he will be standing out again.
One rookie cornerback is overlooked now, but that could change in training camp
Most eyes will be glued to the secondary of the Steelers during the pre-season with the amount of turnover there. You will see a new starter at safety and potentially at all three cornerback spots. Patrick Peterson is the big question mark now as the club will try him out at a few different spots before settling on his role.
Right now, Peterson seems to be in the slot for this defense, which would be beneficial to all if he worked out nicely there. That would allow the likes of Joey Porter Jr., Levi Wallace, Cory Trice, and James Pierre to battle for the outside corner spots. It will be an interesting battle to watch commence as the team looks to watch the dust settle out of training camp.
One name listed above that has been overlooked since being drafted is Trice. He has enjoyed strong OTAs that have been overshadowed by the coverage of Porter. The obvious headlines are there for the second-round pick, but that has caused his fellow rookie teammate to miss some of the spotlight recently.
Trice is a long cornerback just like Porter is and had a great career at Purdue. He should be able to transition to the NFL well, but his seventh-round selection could slow down any shot that he has when it comes to him playing meaningful snaps on defense. If Peterson does start in the slot, Porter will start at one of the outside positions, which could open the door for Trice to start opposite of him.