LATROBE, PA — The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their work at Saint Vincent College, operating with two starting quarterbacks and adding Diontae Johnson to the mix after his contract extension.The rain ended practice early, but players got plenty of work in. According to head coach Mike Tomlin, only 11 plays were mi sed, meaning there were a lot of notes grabbed before the thunder.Trubiskys Rocky PracticeMitch Trubisky is still getting most of the first team reps at practice despite what coaches are calling a quarterback competition. The afternoon individual period saw Trubisky hit a pair of deep shots down the right sideline, the last of which to freshly extended Diontae Johnson as he beat Ahkello Witherspoon on a go route. He would hit George Pickens on a run route on the first play of seven shots for a score as the defense somehow lost the 64 receiver in the end zone. Trubisky rolled out to Jimmy Wynn Jersey his left to start the team period and he hit Zach Gentry in stride on an over route. From there, things seemed to go off the rails a little bit. There were three separate occasions where he had potential interceptions dropped by defensive backs. His final three throws of his seven on seven series resulted in three straight incompletions:- Corner route to the back pylon but Kazee had Sternberger blanketed before he dropped an interception. – Trubisky tried to find Austin a pivot route underneath but the throw was wide, causing Austin to try and dive for it. Pierre was in coverage as it fell incomplete. – Trubisky tried to hit Snell on a choice route where he broke to the sideline towards open gra s but he mi sed the throw by several feet to end the series. Poor series for the favorite to start week one as he was visibly upset as he walked off the field. Rudolph’s Steady While Pickett AscendsBased on what Ive heard and what Ive seen through my time at camp, Mason Rudolph has been the most consistent in Latrobe. There arent any jaw-dropping throws that get you off your feet but he just seems to be in good command of the offense. He went 2/3 in seven shots with a pair of scores. Mostly everything is underneath but the ball is out on time and hes been accurate hitting guys on the move. Kenny Pickett had a strong day, albeit in limited reps. His first touchdown came in his lone rep during seven shots. He hit Cody White on a beautiful corner route towards the back right pylon. Pickett also had arguably the throw of the day which capped off his seven on seven series. He displayed excellent eye manipulation to hold Tre Norwood in the middle of the field before firing a dart to Boykin on a post route for the score. Hes not doing as much J.R. Richard Jersey scrambling these past two days, a sign of more comfort in the pocket. Its safe to say that hes earning more reps based on his play. Anthony McFarland Steals ShowMcFarland was the star of Steelers camp. He was on fire from start to finish. In one on ones, McFarland beat both Myles Jack and Devin Bush on wheel routes down the field. He had several steps on both plays but both footballs were poorly thrown. The first was under thrown but he worked his way back to the football through contact to make a contested catch. The second was thrown inside and low but he made a splendid diving grab for a big gain.The lone explosive play of the day was a jet sweep to McFarland who lined up in the slot. McFarland got to the edge and took off upfield with one man to beat. He made a nasty cut and juked Donovan Stiner to take it to the house for a 65-yard touchdown. McFarland is being used in creative ways and hes stood out when given the chance. Hes still the favorite for RB3.Big Decisions Loom at Wide ReceiverWith Diontae Johnson back practicing and Chase Claypools return hopefully imminent, there will be le s reps for the rest of the room. Deciding which five or six receivers to Nolan Ryan Jersey keep on the 53-man roster is surely to be a difficult task for the Steelers coaching staff. Johnson, Claypool, Pickens and Austin are the likely on locks. Which leaves Miles Boykin, Anthony Miller and Gunner Olszewski battling for the final spot(s). Boykin is interesting because he has a supreme blend of size and speed while also bringing plenty of experience on special teams. Millers been a difficult cover for just about anyone in drills as his route running has stood out both when working in the slot and on the boundary. Olszewski has the advantage of being a succe sful returner in the league and has been sure handed when targeted.Its noteworthy that Miller did get some work in as a gunner during the special teams period yesterday. Itll be interesting to see if he has the chance to do that in the preseason matchups. This is as deep of a receiver room as the Steelers have had in several years. Isaiahh Loudermilk and Genard Avery Make Noise Against the RunLoudermilk made multiple plays in the backfield on Thursday, one during seven shots and one during the teams run se sion. The first of which occurred during seven shots, a to s left to Benny Snell. Loudermilk shot through the gap and made the stop short of the goal line. He was also involved in the play where Jaylen Warren put the football on the ground. It was hard to see if he actually forced the fumble but he was active. Loudermilks a strong run defender and can carve out a role in that regard given the Steelers struggles last year in that regard. Scroll to ContinueAvery blew up a run to his side in the teams run se sions as he quickly disregarded the tight end (which was Jace Sternberger, I believe) to make a stop in the backfield. Avery has been noticeable through two days as hes seen increased reps with T.J. Watt not participating in practice. He looks a lot more comfortable on the edge than he did inside with Philadelphia. Given Pittsburghs lack of depth there at the position, thats certainly a good sign. Jaylen Warren Had a Tough DayAs a running back, theres few things that will get you in the doghouse quicker than putting the ball on the ground. Warren unfortunately did that twice on Thursday. The first of which was on a run that he bounced outside, Justin Layne came up and punched the ball out. He was immediately called over to the sideline after the play. Carlos Correa Jersey As the team switched sides on the field, Pickett tried to find Warren on a quick screen as he lined up outside. The ball was off the mark and inside making things a bit difficult but it was catchable prior to slipping through his hands. Warrens impre sed so far to the point that he received a couple first team reps on Thursday. However, the other backup running backs outperformed him on this day. James Pierre Shines Bright in Cam Suttons AbsenceCam Sutton unfortunately left practice with a lower body injury. This gave James Pierre a chance to run with the first team defense the rest of the way and he didnt disappoint. He had multiple pa s breakups early, one on a fade ball to Miles Boykin. He had at least one more
