Steelers News: Brandon Aiyuk drama, Troy Fautanu, Russell Wilson, and more

It's been an eventful week for the Pittsburgh Steelers. As the front office deals with a plethora of trade rumors involving 49ers star receiver, Brandon Aiyuk, players took the practice field for the first time this week.

Conflicting reports have dominated the news cycle regarding Aiyuk and where he will land. This is a topic that could take weeks to resolve. As the latest trade rumor updates flood social media, we gain insight as to where players stood during Pittsburgh's eleventh training camp practice. Here's the latest Steelers news.

Adam Schefter does not expect Brandon Aiyuk to land with Steelers

As reports of a Brandon Aiyuk trade blew up on August 5, prominent NFL Insiders remained silent regarding the situation. On August 6, ESPN's Adam Schefter broke his silence and offered his thoughts on where things currently stand between San Francisco and Pittsburgh.

Schefter joined The Pat McAfee Show where he explained he does not expect Pittsburgh to be a landing spot at all' for Aiyuk.

The prominent insider believes the Steelers won't meet the lofty asking price set by the 49ers to execute a trade for Aiyuk. Schefter did admit, however, that this is a complicated situation, but that Aiyuk has an 'unofficial' trade clause -- meaning he can tell a team trading for him that he won't commit to signing a long-term deal if traded.

This leaves the door cracked open for Pittsburgh if San Francisco is willing to come down on the asking price.

Russell Wilson splits reps with Justin Fields at Steelers training camp

Now that Wilson is finally a full-go from the calf injury he dealt with early in camp, fans were interested to see how the workload would be divided when Wilson returned to the practice field for team sessions. During Pittsburgh's eleventh training camp practice on August 6, Wilson and Fields split first-team quarterback reps right down the middle, as they frequently rotated in for each other.

This is a sign that the 'pole position' Mike Tomlin and the Steelers so frequently referred to when talking about Wilson during the offseason isn't as big as we were led to believe. Fields has strung together several excellent practices before Wilson's return to practice.

Wilson is still expected to be the starting quarterback when the season starts, but the competition is heating up. Many fans are pulling for Fields, who is ten years younger, to win the job from the veteran QB.

Troy Fautanu starts at right tackle, Broderick Jones splits reps at left tackle

One of the biggest notes from Steelers training camp practice early this week is Troy Fautanu finally earned significant work as the first-team right tackle in team sessions. Fautanu, a first-round pick in 2024, was expected to earn the starting right tackle job sooner rather than later.

In a corresponding move, the Steelers split starting left tackle reps between 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones and veteran Dan Moore Jr.

Eventually, Jones is expected to be the starting left tackle in Pittsburgh with Fautanu manning the left tackle position. Getting the first-round picks on the field at the same time isn't guaranteed to happen by the start of the season, but this is an encouraging sign that Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are open to the idea.

Kenny Pickett demoted at Eagles camp

Reports surfaced that Kenny Pickett is losing opportunities to be the Eagles' backup quarterback in 2024. As Tanner McKee took more second-team reps, Pickett's chances of landing the number two quarterback job in Philadelphia decreased.

According to Zach Berman, who covers the Eagles, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore insists McKee's work with the second-team offense is independent of Pickett's play.

Pickett, a first-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the first quarterback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, is looking to maintain relevancy and repair his tarnished reputation early in his NFL career.