Tag: Steelers 2024 training camp

Why are the Steelers still tackling to the ground at training camp?

Given how Roman Wilson injured his ankle, the Steelers might want to reconsider the tackling intensity in training camp practice.

After learning the nature of how rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson injured his ankle, the Pittsburgh Steelers might want to reconsider the tackling intensity of their practices.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Steelers are among the only teams that still do it.

Pittsburgh remains one of the very few (if not the only) teams in the NFL that still hits and tackles to the ground in training camp practices.

The Steelers obviously view it as useful for whatever reason, and we all know how stubborn Mike Tomlin is to change.

It’s understandable that teams have to go through the motions to best prepare their players for live action, but the force with which Pittsburgh does it seems a bit much. The risk of losing a player for any period of time — especially a rookie who needs all the preseason work he can get — doesn’t seem worth it.

The Steelers got lucky with Wilson, though.

According to Steelers Depot, Wilson sustained his ankle injury (in a live session that allowed full contact and tackling) when cornerback Anthony Averett tackled Wilson short of the goal line, “spinning him to the ground.”

Wilson is out for the remainder of training camp and not expected to play in the preseason.

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Steelers must protect Payton Wilson at all costs

Hurry! Hide Payton Wilson.

Hurry! Hide Payton Wilson.

The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired three Wilsons this offseason and two, Russell Wilson (calf) and Roman Wilson (ankle), have been dealing with injury.

The eldest Wilson returned to practice on Tuesday with Justin Fields still taking the majority of first-team reps. The rookie wide receiver is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of training camp after an impressive start to his first practices as a pro.

However, Payton Wilson has also been turning heads and earning praise from his teammates, including fellow inside linebacker Patrick Queen.

“Payton’s a great guy, great teammate,” Queen said of Wilson earlier this week. “Edgy guy, very cool, calm demeanor guy… but on the football field, he just turns into a whole ‘nother animal.”

Sound like another Steeler we all know and love? Ahem, T.J. Watt.

In addition to the guardian cap, the Steelers need to put Payton Wilson in bubble wrap.

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Steelers insider provides timeline for WR Roman Wilson return

Steelers rookie WR Roman Wilson is expected to be sidelined for at least two weeks with an ankle injury.

The Pittsburgh Steelers appeared to have avoided disaster with the severity of rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson’s ankle injury.

Gerry Dulac, a Steelers insider with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reported that Wilson is expected to be out for at least two weeks with what NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is classifying as a “sprain.”

Injuries are inevitable, and they happen to every player at some point(s) in their careers, but Wilson has to be frustrated with it happening so early in camp — as a rookie, no less.

Reports of Wilson’s solid start to camp prompted many to speculate that he’d be a key component of the offense starting Week 1. However, the timing keeps Wilson out of training camp and preseason action, and he’ll be more eased into the lineup once he’s medically cleared.

Wilson’s injury is certainly not ideal for a Steelers team lacking in wide receiver talent.

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Mike Tomlin discloses ankle injury for Steelers WR Roman Wilson

Steelers rookie WR Roman Wilson is being evaluated for an ankle injury sustained during training camp practice.

Mike Tomlin shed light on the nature of wide receiver Roman Wilson’s injury after practice on Tuesday.

ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported that it’s an ankle injury “being evaluated for severity and length of time out.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected the Michigan star in the third round (No. 84) of April’s NFL draft.

Without Wilson for any period of time, the receiver corps is George Pickens and a slew of average wideouts.

Whether Wilson’s injury is serious or not, the Steelers lack depth in the position group. Pittsburgh never got a deal done with a proven top-tier receiver ahead of or behind Pickens during the offseason, and general manager Omar Khan previously denied interest in doing so.

Should Wilson’s injury be severe, the Steelers had better get the phones going.

Steelers rookie WR Roman Wilson carted off practice field

The Steelers’ already thin wide receiver corps just got a little bit thinner with rookie Roman Wilson’s injury.

Update: ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported that Roman Wilson is being evaluated for an ankle injury. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ already thin wide receiver corps just got a little bit thinner with rookie Roman Wilson‘s injury.

Mike DeFabo, Steelers beat writer for The Athletic, reported this afternoon that Wilson was carted off the practice field after he appeared to be injured on a jet sweep during seven shots.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will speak to reporters as practice just wrapped for the day and should be able to shed some light on the situation.

Fans can only hope that the injury is minor and Wilson will be back to practice soon.

Steelers release cornerback Josiah Scott ahead of first padded practice

The Steelers released former Eagles CB Josiah Scott on Monday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers saw all they needed from cornerback Josiah Scott, releasing the veteran cornerback in a surprise move on the eve of their first padded practice of the 2024 training camp.

The timing of Scott’s release is a bit of a head-scratcher, especially considering Pittsburgh’s lean at nickelback/slot corner. Thomas Graham, who played in the slot with the Cleveland Browns, and former Houston Texan Grayland Arnold, who can play outside, slot and safety remain.

However, undrafted rookie Beanie Bishop leads the pack. According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, Bishop has excelled in opportunities to work with the starters.

Cameron Sutton is suspended for the first eight weeks of the regular season and while he’s with the team, starter reps have been few during the first week of practice. More than anything, the Steelers need to see what they have in the first-year West Virginia product.

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Steelers QB Russell Wilson’s injury appears to have been overhyped

Russell Wilson’s calf injury dominated the headlines as the dog days of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp commenced in Latrobe

The media turned nothing into something. Shocker. Russell Wilson’s calf injury dominated the headlines as the dog days of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp commenced in Latrobe. Fans’ concerns about the quarterback situation intensified while Justin Fields rose in the ranks.

The injury, however, appears to have been overhyped. After all, as Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac noted in a post on X, Wilson did participate in some capacity while nursing his calf.

“He does every QB drill in practice, including dropback and pocket footwork, and throws before and after every session,” Dulac tweeted.

Mike Tomlin only wanted to “create a little misery” for Wilson and the Steelers offense.

Wilson is expected to increase participation as training camp heads into its second week on Tuesday.

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Mike Tomlin only sought to ‘create a little misery’ for Russell Wilson, Steelers offense

It seems that Steelers HC Mike Tomlin wasn’t fooling when he said he wanted to watch Russell Wilson squirm. 

Pittsburgh Steelers training camp reconvenes Tuesday and Russell Wilson is expected to take part at some point this week.

It seems that Mike Tomlin wasn’t fooling when he said he wanted to watch Wilson squirm.

“It was my decision to sit [Wilson] down today, create a little short-term discomfort for him, not allowing a small problem to become a bigger problem,” Tomlin told Steelers reporters on Thursday. “He wanted to [practice], and he was probably capable, but I’m getting to know him, and I just chose to create a little misery for him and the offensive unit.”

Last week marked the start of Wilson’s 13th training camp. The man knows how to ramp up to regular-season form. Now he just needs to do it with another new offense and another new offensive coordinator.

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Steelers could be in a world of hurt with Russell Wilson’s calf injury

Should Russell Wilson’s injury linger or further limit him as summer bleeds into the regular season, the Steelers could be in trouble.

When you hit 30, simple things like sneezing or reaching for the remote can throw our backs out. And while athletes are far more conditioned than most anyone reading this, injuries still take time to heal.

Like groin injuries (ask Cam Heyward), calf injuries tend to linger. Russell Wilson and his 35-year-old calf having to ramp up for a long 17-game season (in which he’s expected to be mobile) isn’t a good mix.

There’s no question the Steelers trainers will accordingly prepare Wilson, who, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, has been participating in a limited capacity.

And, of course, Mike Tomlin will use an abundance of caution (and repeat the phrase abundantly) while monitoring his quarterback. But should the injury linger or further limit Wilson as summer bleeds into the regular season, the Steelers could be in trouble.

Should Wilson’s calf become a real problem, Justin Fields needing to start the 2024 regular season would be less than ideal. Then again, what better way for the Steelers to truly see what they have in Fields than during live game action?

Wilson is a veteran, it’s true. This isn’t his first rodeo, nor his first team or offense change. But that still doesn’t diminish the fact that he still needs meaningful reps and practice under Arthur Smith and company in the six weeks leading up to the start of the regular season. Hopefully, that process begins in earnest this week as Wilson is expected to start practicing in a fuller capacity.

As most teams do, the Steelers start the reason with plenty of rust to shake off. Russell Wilson must be the least rusty to make the transition more seamless.

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Pittsburgh media personality calls for firing of Steelers new strength coach

The injury that limited Russell Wilson in the early stages of Steelers’ training camp could have been avoided. 

The injury that limited Russell Wilson in the early stages of Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp could have been avoided.

Pittsburgh media personality Mark Madden called involving Wilson in a sled push drill a fireable offense.

Here’s what Madden wrote in his latest TribLive column, “Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Russell Wilson has no business on a blocking sled“:

Making Wilson push a blocking sled is abject stupidity on the part of Phil Matusz, the Steelers’ new strength and conditioning coach. It’s not a stretch to say Matusz should be fired for such idiocy.

The Steelers brought Matusz in as head strength and conditioning coach (to replace Marcel Pastoor) in February.

The Greenville, Pa. native spent the last four years serving as the head strength and conditioning coach at Boston College. Matusz’s previous six seasons were spent on the Ohio State University coaching staff.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac tweeted on X on Sunday night that Wilson is expected to practice this week. Should that happen without a hitch, the Steelers are no worse for wear.

Firing Matusz does seem a tad overblown, but it wasn’t a smart move either. No doubt Mike Tomlin told Matusz in so many words that quarterbacks don’t belong on a blocking sled.

Let’s just hope Matusz understood and call it good.

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