LATROBE — If a quarterback battle is what you wanted, you’ve certainly got it. In each of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first two practices of training camp, a young quarterback has stepped up and made noteworthy plays to raise their respective stocks. Yesterday was rookie Drew Allar, today was second-year signal-caller Will Howard’s turn. Plus, a defensive back continues to show he is worthy of a high snap count while Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf have a strong day. Let’s dive into today’s training camp notebook.
Will Howard has a big day
After a quiet Day One, Howard made several high-quality throws throughout the second practice. He had a nice rip over the middle of the field to Robert Tonyan during a team drill and hit Levi Wentz on a sideline shot for a gain of 15. The highlight of the day, though – and of camp thus far – was a deep pass to the right side that was caught by Kaden Wetjen for a 60 yard touchdown. Like Allar on Day One, he did have some errors. Leading the second two-minute drill, Howard double clutched a throw, letting it go a bit late, which allowed Sebastian Castro to pick it off and win the second two-minute drill for the defense. That said, it was still a day where there was far more good than bad for the Ohio State product.
It’s obviously still very early, but with Howard’s big second day compared to a somewhat pedestrian start for Mason Rudolph, the QB2 battle is heating up, and the second-year quarterback may have just put himself in the early lead.
Asante Samuel Jr continues hot start
Samuel had two big plays on Day One of training camp, and he picked up where he left off on Day Two. During team drills, Pat Freiermuth sprung open down the right sideline. Mason Rudolph launched a pass in his direction, but Samuel made a break on the ball, getting over and beating Freiermuth to the pass to bat it down and prevent a big gain. The depth in the secondary was a big talking point all offseason, and Samuel is stacking high-quality days together and showing he should be a high-volume player come September.
Drew Allar has another solid day
While Howard stole the show with several high-quality throws, Allar had another strong day himself. He ripped a throw over the middle to Brandon Smith on a crosser that went for a big gain, and had multiple connections with A.T. Perry throughout the day, including a layered pass over the top of one linebacker and underneath a safety for a chunk play. The footwork and rhythm are getting better, and if you were to compare his feet now to his Penn State film, the improvement is clear.
Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf’s growing chemistry
QB1 and WR1 of the Steelers should look more in lockstep entering Year Two together, and they look far better now than they did at this time a year ago. The pair connected several times during team drills for chunk plays over the middle of the field, and a long pass down the sideline where Rodgers fit the ball in over Jamel Dean. The final toss-and-catch came with Metcalf going up and over Daylen Everette for a touchdown to give the offense a win in the first two-minute drill. If the offense is going to take a step forward, Rodgers and Metcalf being in synch with one another will be a big reason why.
Other notes
- I alluded to it earlier, but the constant targeting of the middle of the field is promising and hopefully something that carries over into actual games being played.
- Roman Wilson continues to get a ton of targets. He made a nice leaping catch on the sideline during the two-minute drill.
- Rodgers ripped a seed between Cole Holcomb and Payton Wilson to Pat Freiermuth for a nice gain. That arm talent hasn’t fallen off at all.
- DeShon Elliott returned in a more heavy workload capacity after being limited on Wednesday.
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