FIERCE BATTLES FOR STARTING SPOTS
Camp features some pitched competitions
Last Wednesday, the first day the Steelers strapped on pads at training camp, Mike Tomlin wanted to make a point. It was his answer to a question about the competition along the offensive line, but he wanted to send a message to all 90 players.
“Let’s be clear: All positions are open,” he said. “Somebody makes enough plays out here, we’re going to believe them.”
The Steelers open the NFL preseason against the Cowboys in the Hall of Game Thursday night, and it’s the first opportunity for many players to begin the process of earning starting jobs or spots on the 53-man roster.
Here is a look at some of the camp battles and where the competition stands as the Steelers prepare for their first preseason game.
• Center: J.C. Hassenauer is listed as the starter with Kendrick Green as the backup and veteran B.J. Finney at No. 3. Hassenauer has been out for a week with a lower body injury, giving Green the reps with the starters during the first week in pads. There have been some issues with the exchange when the quarterbacks are under center, but that’s to be expected with Green playing center on a
full-time basis for the first time. Green stayed in Pittsburgh in late June and early July to make sure he was ready to compete for the job. That has been evident in his ability to make calls at the line. He also looks comfortable as an open-field blocker and has held his own in oneon-one pass blocking drills. Finney is the wild card in the derby. He has the most experience of the trio, but has worked mostly at guard this summer. The Steelers know what they have in Finney. They want to find out about Green and Hasseanuer over the next month.
• Advantage: Green. It was bad luck for Hassenauer to go down with an injury, but as Tomlin likes to say: “One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity.” Green hasn’t been perfect, but he is getting extended work with the starters. A strong showing Thursday night would be another step in establishing himself as the starter.
• Tight end: Eric Ebron is the starter, but rookie pick Pat Freiermuth is the starter-in-waiting, it’s just a matter of when. It’s easy to see why the Steelers used a second-round pick on him. He knows how to get open and has a great set of hands. He’s also a willing blocker, which is an asset for him as the Steelers concentrate on improving their running game. There isn’t a sense the Steelers are going to rush Freiermuth. Ebron was in the system last year and adds value as a receiver. But if Freiermuth is the better blocker he’s going to play more and eventually slide into the starting job.
• Advantage: Ebron, but check back in October. Freiermuth doesn’t look like a rookie and his smooth passcatching skills are going to endear him to Ben Roethlisberger.
• Outside linebacker: The Steelers strengthened their defense when they signed Melvin Ingram just before camp started, but they also created some competition for second-year linebacker Alex Highsmith in the process. The coaches are going to have a plan to get the most out of Ingram and Highsmith, but someone is going to have to line up opposite of T.J. Watt in the opener in Buffalo. Highsmith has responded with a strong start to camp. Tomlin noted Saturday he has a “big-time urgency to his game” and his “motor runs hot.” And Highsmith has shown improvement as a run defender. Ingram, meanwhile, is getting plenty of reps as well with Watt being held out of camp. He’s a savvy veteran with a proven track record as a run defender and pass rusher.
• Advantage: Highsmith, but it’s a tough call because the coaches haven’t had to show their intentions with Watt on the sidelines. Either way, Ingram and
Highsmith both figure to be factors on the edge.
• No. 3 cornerback: Technically, it might not be a starting job, but in reality it is. The No. 3 corner is going to play about two-thirds of the defensive snaps. Right now Arthur Maulet and Antoine Brooks are competing in the slot. Defensive backs coach Teryl Austin said he’s not in a hurry to evaluate them because he knows Cam Sutton can move inside to the slot if it comes to that. And the way secondyear outside corner James Pierre is playing, it might be the best option, anyway. He had interceptions in back-to-back practices Friday and Saturday.
“James has been awesome,” veteran defensive end Cam Heyward said. “I know it’s only been a little bit of time, but if you look back to last year he was doing that in practice. He’s a hungry kid. I just love his growth.
“He has to continue to keep being a factor for us because if he can play like that on Sundays he really solidifies out DBs group.”
• Advantage: Pierre. It’s definitely an ongoing competition because Austin would like to keep Sutton outside, but Pierre’s playmaking ability is hard to ignore.
• No. 3 quarterback: Roethlisberger’s throwing schedule has provided plenty of extra reps for Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins and, to a lesser extent, Josh Dobbs. When Tomlin’s first depth chart was revealed last week, Haskins was penciled in as No. 3 ahead of Dobbs, who was the backup in 2018. All of the reserve quarterbacks have had good and bad moments during the first week of camp, but it’s clear the Steelers are giving Haskins every opportunity to earn the final roster spot. He’s getting steady work with the second-team offense (when Roethlisberger is not practicing), and he has taken advantage of many of those reps. Tomlin even noted his performance in a post-practice interview session following Thursday’s practice at Heinz Field.
• Advantage: Haskins. Even though Tomlin said Rudolph is competing for the backup job, the idea of developing Haskins as the No. 3 and letting him learn the offense for a year makes perfect sense in the long term if he gives the Steelers a reason to keep him.
A former first- round pick of Washington, Haskins was thrown into the fire as a 22-year-old rookie in 2019 and struggled the past two seasons. If he earns a job on the roster and is allowed a redshirt year of sorts, the Steelers very well might have a real open competition for the starting quarterback job in 2022.