Steelers Camp Standouts ahead of Preseason Game 1.

Steelers Camp Standouts ahead of Preseason Game 1.

We all love seeing players make a real statement in training camp, and several Steelers are doing exactly that heading into the first preseason game.

Y. Black
All 350+ pounds of him. Black looks even bigger and stronger than last year. Currently listed as the No. 1 nose tackle on the depth chart, he has the potential to be the true two-down run-stuffer this defense has been missing. Payton Wilson has been gushing about him. Having a nose tackle who can consistently take on double teams makes the inside linebacker’s job a whole lot easier against the run. It looks like the Steelers may have found their 2026 solution to last year’s weakness up the middle.

Payton Wilson
Wilson has been moving around and making plays all over the field in camp. He’s a big, tall and fast inside linebacker, and with Black occupying blockers in front of him, the weaker part of his game (shedding blocks) becomes much less of an issue.

Roman Wilson
I don’t want to start any rumors, but Roman Wilson has quietly been the second-best wide receiver in camp. Take away a few of Michael Pittman’s ( who seems to have vanished ) Wilson can. He has been everywhere — slot or outside, he’s a tough cover.

D. Harmon
After a solid rookie season, Harmon is dominating in camp against both the run and the pass. Some are saying he may have already passed Heyward as the top defensive lineman on the team. Looks like a potential home-run first-round pick in the making.

D. Everette
The rookie cornerback out of Georgia has grossly exceeded early expectations. More than a few voices in the Steelers media already believe the team hit a home run with this selection.

A.Samuel
While Joey Porter Jr. continues his holdout, Samuel has been the most consistent defensive back in camp — a true under-the-radar story. Pair him with Everette and Dean (all new faces) and this might be the best group of cornerbacks the Steelers have had in at least a decade.

D. Allar
He won’t be the No. 1 or No. 2 quarterback this year, but he has my full attention with his ability to complete those big 10+ yard throws. Will it translate into the preseason games? And how much better will that big arm look with DK Metcalf and Roman Wilson to throw to? Allar has the tools to make those guys stand out even more. The Steelers need a long-term successor to Rodgers, and Allar is making a real case to be that guy.

 

For the Wilsons...I'm much more interested in what they can do when hitting is allowed.

I wish we were hearing more about Bernard. So far seems like there's no info. Which I suppose isn't bad...but doesn't seem great either.

 

For me I am looking forward to seeing the 2 practice squad players in live action; Brandon Smith and Lew Nichols. Everyone is in love with these 2 guys right now.

As for the late round draft picks it will be Gabriel Rubio and Robert Spears Jennings. Both receiving a lot of praise from training camp reports.

And I definitely want to see Gennings Dunker play in full contact at 100% speed. Reports out of training camp have not been good, about his transition to the inside to play Guard.

 

I think both guys will be just fine.Payton now has Black in front of him, and he already tackles well when left unblocked. That combination should work out nicely.Roman is quick and fast. He's the type of receiver who can make you pay if you try to jam him and miss. His speed and quickness will force defensive backs to back off and respect him.Bernard hasn’t impressed me physically. I wasn’t happy with the Steelers trading up for him (it cost a 2nd and a 4th-round pick). I felt Roman was good but underused, and we had already signed Pittman. Still, the Steelers clearly felt they needed another receiver. I think Bernard can contribute, but he’s more of a chain-mover type than a difference-maker. A role player.
I see him as. But he's only a rookie.

 

Spears has some intriguing traits. His size and speed are excellent for a safety, and I’m genuinely interested to see how that translates. The big question with him is how well he sticks to receivers on route cuts not just in straight-line speed or contested catches. He’ll need to prove that before the Steelers coaches fully trust him. Right now he looks like a solid third-high safety for the back end and a player who can also shine on kick coverage.

I thought Rubio was a bad pick at the time because there wasn’t a lot of tape on him. Credit to the coaches for finding his game in limited film. He is a solid run defender and has a real shot to become our sixth defensive lineman.

Dunker hasn’t fully translated from tackle to guard yet. He needs to learn how to get low and engage quickly. He can get there, but as of right now he’d be in danger of being cut if he weren’t a third-round pick. The hope if he will shine in full contact game situations as physically he is a house. Less thinking from him, more action. He is a player worth watching for developmental reasons. I hope to see a different player by the 3rd pre -season game.

 

I hope you're right about P Wilson. He's got the "traits" to be an elite ILB. But he has to figure out how to defend the run.

Roman's problem last year seemed to be that he'd freelance his routes. Which you can't do with Rodgers. He needs guys to be where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there. Because he's not a college QB who looks, then waits for you to get open, then throws it. I think this is even more critical now that Rodgers is old and doesn't have the athleticism that he used to have. Wilson sounds like he's doing more in practice. Hopefully that translates.

So there's some cause for optimism. But I'm a doubting Thomas. I need to see to believe.

 

True, and I think that it is an absolute must in the NFL regardless of who is at QB, just a little more critical with AR because he is not going to hold the ball for a freelance route to open up.

 

And he throws to guys without looking at them at least semi-frequently.

So he has no use for you on the field if you don't run good routes.

Which I think is the reason R Wilson was rarely on the field last season.

 

Just to nitpick but there is a big difference between freelancing and adjusting a route based on the defense

A quarterback doesn’t have time to wait while a receiver just makes something up bad things will happen

If they are on the same page and make the same read good things happen

 

I think an adjusted route is part of the play correct? If the defender does this, you do this.

 

Yes

But it has to be logical and systematic for both to be on the same page

Not random motion

Again I’m just nit picking words

 

An average Browns fan i.e. dumber than a sack of hammers, once told me I was smoking dope when I said that the QB and the WR both have to make the same read based on whether the defender is lined up on the WR's inside shoulder or outside shoulder.

I may very well have been but that, like most conversations with a Browns fan, had nothing to do with the football comment.

 

I don't know if Rodgers was meaning it this way, but I do Agree that Roman should be learning the offense's WR positions starting with the inside and then moving on to learn the outside. I am expecting Wilson to be playing a lot of Slot receiver this year.

 

It's tough to peg the standouts in McCarthy's camp.
A lot of coaching focused on Roman Wilson and he seems to have responded, and we'll get a glimpse of him as I am confident that they will spotlight him on a couple plays.
QB is obviously going to have the most attention. Howard has had some issues with the snap and he may have the most to lose.
Samuels stand out and it is because Ramsey has been dinged. Samuels has done everything asked of him, very well.

I don't look for a win. I just want execution. I want to see the coaching is taking effect.
It has been a much different camp this year.

 

Right now Bernard is # 4 or 5 and that is where he most likely will be for the season

 

I’m fine settling for a solid starting inside linebacker in P. Wilson. He’s played enough snaps for us to get a clear read on his upside, and he simply doesn’t play like an elite ILB.

R. Wilson, on the other hand, has a real shot at becoming a very good starting WR. I’m not ruling out elite upside with him yet—he just hasn’t had the opportunity to prove whether he can or can’t reach that level. He has looked like an elite player on the rise would in camp. Give him at least 10 starts before judging.

 

I once had a very sobering and good conversation with a die-hard Browns fan in a Steelers bar. He knew far more than the average Cleveland fan would. He had the look of pain and envy when we were talking about the Steelers.With a deadpan face he said, “You don’t know how lucky you are. Being a Browns fan is tough. You just know you’re going to get beaten badly every year. But you still come back for more.” Brutal honesty from this man. I looked at him and said, “Every man deserves one good woman, one good pet, and to see his favorite sports team win the championship in his lifetime.”He nodded. “Yep.”Then I bought him another beer of whatever he was drinking.

 

To make matters worse, every current Browns fan has a father, uncles, grandfathers, who tell the stories of how great the Browns were. It just makes them more bitter.

Being in the service, I lived where people wear Lions, fans, Falcon fans, Redskin fans, Bronco fans, and in the years when those team were bad, their fans would say "we suck, but I love them anyway", exactly what a good fan should say. The vast majority of Browns fans want to make excuses, sling insults, start fights, ignore reality, etc. I think their ancestors drank from the burning river.