Rookies begin trek at minicamp
when rookie minicamp begins at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in South Side.
The three-day minicamp won’t feature any hitting and the players in attendance merely will be getting their feet wet, but don’t be surprised if a couple of the rookies are thrown into the fire when offseason training activities and minicamp commence later this month.
Jones was given an opportunity in spring 2013 at OTAs and minicamp, and the coaches started him over Worilds early in the season. The Steelers eventually turned to Worilds as their starter because Jones didn’t progress enough, but his struggles didn’t deter them from using other rookies in starting roles.
In the same season, Williams, who was drafted in the sixth round, started 11 times when Larry Foote was lost for the 2013 season with a biceps injury. The trend continued in 2014 when Shazier started the first four games before he was injured. Tuitt earned a starting role later in the 2014 season, and Dupree did the same in 2015.
But the 2016 season was historic in the number of games rookies started. Hargrave earned his starting job out of training camp and Burns and Davis might have done the same if not for injuries. Burns was slowed in camp by a quad injury, and Davis was forced to play out of position at slot corner in camp and early in the season due to Senquez Golson’s foot injury. He later earned the starting strong safety job.
Some of the reasons for the change are obvious. Tomlin stepped into a great situation with a stacked defensive roster. Many of his early picks did not play because they had veteran starters in front of them on teams built to win and compete for Super Bowls.
In recent years, there has been a bigger need for rookies to play earlier as those veterans retired or were moved out.
But it’s also true the Steelers have streamlined their defensive playbook and made it easier for rookies to contribute.
The 2011 collective bargaining agreement, which stipulates four-year contracts for all rookies except first-round picks, also is part of the reason for the change. It became important to see which players could do because the front office had to make determinations about second contracts.
The need for a rookie to start in 2017 isn’t as great as previous years, but Sutton could keep the trend going. The third-round corner has a specific skill the Steelers were seeking in the draft. The coaches want to become more diverse in their pass defense, and Sutton’s man coverage skills could give him the edge if he learns the playbook quickly.
“He knows how to cover, he stays close, and that is something that we’ve been looking for in the draft,” defensive backs coach Carnell Lake said.
“I think for us to be versatile as a defense we’re going to instill a little more man this year. That’s apparent in how we can improve our defense and get closer to defenders. We believe that Sutton will help us in that area.”
Sutton’s competition will be veteran William Gay, who struggled toward the end of the 2016 season; Golson, who hasn’t played in two years; and free agent pickup Coty Sensabaugh.
Watt’s path to a starting job isn’t as clear, but it’s not out of the question that he could start at some point next season. James Harrison is 39 and could benefit from playing fewer snaps.
The Steelers likely will start Harrison and work in Watt as a pass rusher in nickel packages, but Harrison could be just as effective as a situational pass rusher if Watt demonstrates he has what it takes to handle running downs.
Don’t be surprised if either scenario happens. If the past four years have taught us anything, Watt earning a starting job is at the very least a possibility. • NOTE — The Steelers announced Thursday that they signed third-round draft pick James Conner and sixth-round draft pick Colin Holba to four-year contracts. Conner, who overcame Hodgkin lymphoma while at Pitt, ran for 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2016. Holba played at Louisville, where he was the long snapper the past two seasons. Rookie draft picks Watt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Sutton and Josh Dobbs remain unsigned.