Saunders: Five Steelers with the Most to Prove at OTAs
The Pittsburgh Steelers will begin organized team activities, better known as OTAs, at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side on Tuesday,
Described by Mike Tomlin as “football in shorts” or “football-like,” and derided by veterans around the NFL, OTAs serve as the first opportunity for the full squad that figures to be in place for the Steelers this fall to get together, but not necessarily a lot more than that.
For a veteran like Cam Heyward, OTAs are hardly worth getting out of bed for. But for younger players, they can be a crucial time period to learn new roles, new positions, and set the table for competition at training camp.
So who has the most riding on OTAs this year?
WR Roman Wilson
The Steelers’ third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Roman Wilson had a trying rookie season. He came to Pittsburgh with a big opportunity to step up in an underwhelming wide receiver room, as the lone significant offseason investment in the position after the trade of Diontae Johnson.
But Wilson failed to take hold of that opportunity, struggling through the early part of the offseason before injuries eventually wrecked his entire freshman season. He came back for practice in the final week of 2024, and looked healthy again. He’ll now have to prove he’s ready for that bigger role in 2025, and he’ll once again have the opportunity, as the Steelers are again short at the receiver position, this time after trading George Pickens.
LT Broderick Jones
It’s been two years since the Steelers traded up to get Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. For the first time this spring, it looks like he’ll finally get a chance to play the position they intended for him to play when they drafted him.
I say looks like, because the long hoped-for transition for Jones will be no sure thing. The former first-round pick struggled to develop as projected over his first two seasons, playing exclusively right tackle. An elbow injury last offseason hampered his development, and may have contributed to a slow start to the season.
Even though there will be no pads and no real blocking at OTAs, Jones needs a strong first start at left tackle to give the Steelers reason to believe this move to left tackle will work. The team does not have another viable starting candidate on the 90-man offseason roster.
CB Beanie Bishop
One of the big winners of last offseason, Bishop started for the Steelers in the slot for the first half of 2024, despite being an undrafted free agent. But despite the good vibes from last offseason, Bishop was replaced mid-season by Cam Sutton, who was returning from a suspension.
The fact that Sutton remains without a contract for 2025 should tell you a lot about how that went. Bishop is back, though, and the team didn’t do much to the position around him, bringing in only former New York Jets cornerback Brandin Echols.
Echols has a slot body type, but he played more outside with the Jets. He mostly played special teams. The Steelers don’t place a lot of value on the slot cornerback position, so that means it’s likely Bishop or Echols in line for a starting gig this fall.
And while OTAs are only football in shorts, it’s fairly easy to get a fair judge of the abilities of defensive backs and wide receivers in this setting.
RT Troy Fautanu
Much like Wilson, Fautanu had a rookie season that was lost due to injury. But the situation is a good bit different for the team’s 2024 first-rounder. Fautanu was in line to become the Steelers’ starting right tackle in 2024 before his injury. He also did not return to practice before the end of the 2024 season.
So while Wilson will come to OTAs with something prove about his potential performance, Fautanu will just have to show that he’s healthy and capable of playing like he did last year.
ILB Payton Wilson
The Steelers showed a lot of faith in Wilson by letting veteran inside linebacker Elandon Roberts walk out the door, and though they replaced Roberts with free agent Malik Harrison, it’ll be Wilson that sees an even bigger share of the playing time next to starter Patrick Queen.
The Steelers had high hopes for Wilson when they picked him the 2024 NFL Draft, and they ability to transition from a part-time role primarily in coverage to more of an all-downs linebacker will be a big part of that.