Photo: steelers.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially packed up and left Latrobe, bringing Mike McCarthy‘s first training camp with the team to an end. It wasn’t exactly the ending anyone anticipated.
Monday’s scheduled practice at Saint Vincent College was canceled because of the threat of inclement weather, sending the Steelers back to Pittsburgh a little earlier than expected. McCarthy called the cancellation disappointing, particularly because it eliminated one final opportunity to practice in front of fans.
Still, the end of training camp signals another important step toward the regular season.
The installations and evaluations that dominated the first few weeks of camp will now give way to more game preparation, beginning with Friday night’s preseason matchup against the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium.
The Steelers aren’t completely skipping the work they had planned for Monday.
McCarthy said the padded competition practice originally scheduled for the final day in Latrobe will instead take place Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Pittsburgh will follow that with a mock game Thursday before its usual Friday walkthrough.
That gives the coaching staff another valuable evaluation period before preseason game two.
And after Pittsburgh’s 28-9 win over the Green Bay Packers, there are plenty of players worth another look.
Drew Allar and Will Howard were two of the biggest attractions entering the preseason opener, and neither disappointed.
With Aaron Rodgers sitting out, Pittsburgh’s three quarterbacks combined to complete 27 of 33 passes for 332 yards against Green Bay.
Allar and Howard now have an opportunity to build on those performances against the Jets. The same disclaimer that applied last week still matters. Much of their work will come against backups and players fighting for NFL roster spots. But playing well against that competition is exactly what they’re supposed to do.
A poor performance would raise questions. Another strong showing would make Pittsburgh’s quarterback room one of the more interesting stories heading into the final week of the preseason.
Then there’s the question that followed the Steelers into their first preseason game and remains unanswered entering the second.
Will Aaron Rodgers play?
McCarthy had previously discussed getting Rodgers onto the field during Pittsburgh’s first two preseason games, which conveniently came against Rodgers’ former teams in Green Bay and New York. Rodgers sat against the Packers, however, leaving the possibility of Friday becoming his first preseason appearance as a Steeler.
Whether that actually happens remains to be seen.
Rodgers didn’t take a preseason snap for Pittsburgh last year and responded by throwing four touchdown passes in the regular-season opener. At 42 years old and entering his 22nd NFL season, there’s little that preseason football is going to teach him.
There could still be value in getting the rest of the starting offense a few live snaps with Rodgers before Week 1.
For everyone else, Friday night’s game carries significantly more weight.
The Steelers have only two preseason games remaining, with the finale coming August 27 on the road against the Buffalo Bills. After that, attention turns toward assembling the initial 53-man roster for the regular season.
Training camp gave McCarthy and his staff several weeks to evaluate this roster. Now the opportunities begin disappearing quickly.
For players battling at the bottom of the depth chart, every practice rep, special teams snap and preseason opportunity matters a little more than it did a week ago.
Latrobe is behind them. The race to make the Steelers’ final roster is entering the home stretch.
