The Pittsburgh Steelers enter their third day of training camp practices on Sunday and this will also be the first practice in full pads for the team. As head coach Mike Tomlin always says, we will see what happens when the pads go on.
Here are the three things we are looking for at the team’s first padded practice.
Physicality
No one is asking for a training camp practice to look like a real game but seeing players hit for the first time in more than six months is exciting. It is also telling when coaches begin to evaluate young players and their fit on the roster. Look for some big hits by the young guys as they try to get noticed.
Speed
Everyone can look fast in shorts. But once the pads come in things can change in a hurry. The players who can play fast show up once guys pad up and so we will be keeping a close eye on players like linebacker Devin Bush Jr. and cornerback Justin Layne. These are guys with the reputation for tremendous field speed so let’s see how they do against the veterans.
Quarterbacks
Sunday is a scheduled veteran day off for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. This means the first day guys are hitting will also be a heavy dose of reps for Mason Rudolph and Joshua Dobbs. These two are going to be fighting for that coveted backup spot on the depth chart all training camp long and we’ll get the first taste of it on Sunday.
