LATROBE – After what was a very laxed practiced on Friday, he Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their first week of training camp with the helmets back for a team-drill-heavy Saturday morning. Today marked the final practice before the pads go on Monday, and there was plenty to discuss.
Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf continue hot start
The connection between Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf has been one to be excited about throughout the first week of camp. Over the last handful of days, the pair has dominated in team drills, hooking up for several completions
all over the field. The crowd nearly came unglued when Rodgers launched a deep ball to Metcalf that just fell out of the receiver’s grasp after he made a diving attempt. They made up for that miss with a long completion on a crosser, as well as a deep out route. The synergy is there, and it needs to be a consistent cohesion for Pittsburgh’s offense to be more explosive in 2026.
On top of his connection with Metcalf, Rodgers has just looked dialed in over this first week. He hit Roman Wilson on a deep shot over the middle for a 45-50 yard gain, and the offense won the first two-minute drill again on Saturday that ended with Rodgers throwing a bullet to Pat Freiermuth down the seam for a touchdown. He looks very comfortable and fluid within the offense, and the arm talent and vision are both still near the top of the league. Should this carry into September, this will make for a memorable swan song for the four-time MVP.
Asante Samuel continues to be the best player on the field
Through four practices, Asante Samuel Jr. was been the best player on either side of the ball, and he continued his hot start on Saturday. Will Howard launched a deep pass down the middle to Brandon Smith, but Samuel was there in coverage to prevent the completion. He also broke up a Rodgers pass to Metcalf during the two-minute drill. With everything going on with Joey Porter Jr, as well as the injury to Jalen Ramsey, Pittsburgh can feel good knowing Samuel is showing he is more than capable of stepping into a more prominent role.
Drew Allar adds two more big time throws
Drew Allar had a pair of big throws over the course of Saturday’s practice. The first came on a designed rollout to the right where he launched a pass down the right side to Kaden Wetjen for a gain of 30 yards. The second came during the second two-minute drill. On fourth down, Allar dropped back and sent a perfect back shoulder throw 40 yards down the left side of the field to A.T. Perry. The throw-and-catch set the Steelers up inside the five yard-line. And while the defense ended up holding the offense out of the end zone, the rookie continues to make notable plays.
Search continues for top rotational safety
To start off the day, the Steelers put rookie Robert Spears-Jennings in with the first-team defense alongside Jaquan Brisker at safety. This comes after Darnell Savage took those reps back on the first day with DeShon Elliott participating in a more limited role. Spears-Jennings possesses more sideline-to-sideline speed than any other safety on the roster, which could help him earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Pittsburgh just signed former Browns safety Rayshawn Jenkins to add to the mix, so they are leaving no stone unturned.
Other notes
- Will Howard ripped a nice pass over the middle to Max Hurleman. His most noteworthy play of the day
- Jaquan Brisker blew up a jet sweep to Roman Wilson. Would have been a two-yard loss in-game
- T.J. Watt dropped back into coverage and picked off Aaron Rodgers. Looks like Rodgers didn’t see No. 90 lurking.
- Lew Nichols took reps with the first-team offense, including the entirety of the two-minute drill. Not the greatest sign for Kaleb Johnson as the Steelers continue the battle for the RB3 spot.
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