Winners and Losers from Second Week of Steelers Training Camp

Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp Winners and Losers: Justin Fields came on strong in the second week, and Van Jefferson thrived, as well.

Alan Saunders |

Aug 5, 2024

Pittsburgh Steelers WR Van Jefferson Training Camp — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Van Jefferson during training camp on July 30, 2024. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

UNITY TWP., Pa. — The second week of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp is in the books, and it was a big one. We got our first padded practice of training camp, and then four more, including two backs on backers sessions, a live scrimmage during Friday Night Lights at Latrobe Memorial Stadium, and plenty of work for almost every member of the Black and Gold.

So who stood out in a good way, and who disappointed in the first week of full pads at St. Vincent College?

Let’s dig in:

WINNER: JUSTIN FIELDS

The first player on the list is a flip from the first week of training camp. After a very up-and-down first week, Fields got much more consistent in Week 2. He certainly showed greater connection with starting wide receivers George Pickens and Van Jefferson, after having mostly worked with the second team all through OTAs and minicamp. His running ability is borderline unfair, and was so dominant that he got the linebackers frustrated enough to start not one, but two mid-practice fights.

Fields hasn’t been perfect. He’s still frequently too slow to get the ball out, and his processing and progressions could use a lot of work. He still largely looks like the player you’ve seen on tape from his time with the Chicago Bears. But he’s also cleaned up the worst of the errors from the first week.

Russell Wilson is going to have to lose the starting job before Fields can win it, but a defensive head coach is going to pay a lot more attention to the mistakes than the highlights. The fact that Fields has cleaned up the worst of his worst reps should help narrow the gap between him and Wilson some.

Until Wilson gets on the field, and we have an apples to apples comparison, it’s hard to imagine Fields doing a whole lot more than he did this week. But consistency will be key. A backslide in the third week could quickly erase the good will be built up this week.

LOSER: KYLE ALLEN

Wilson has meant plenty of reps for Fields and third-stringer Kyle Allen, but Allen hasn’t taken advantage of them in the second week the same way that he did in the first. Allen continues to show solid grasp of the offense, and usually gets the ball out on time. He’s been largely much more decisive than Fields has been.

But too often this week, the first read wasn’t available and then things broke down for Allen. He’s thrown multiple interceptions by trying to move in the pocket and extend plays.

“Just throw the ball away, man,” one veteran offense player lamented after an Allen interception this week.

He still seems like a lock to make the team as the No. 3, but it’s clear gap after the first two.

WINNER: VAN JEFFERSON

Van Jefferson has separated himself from the pack as the team’s second-best wide receiver this week, but it comes with a caveat. When Russell Wilson was running with the ones all spring, it was Calvin Austin III that was the next-best receiver behind George Pickens. But Jefferson and Fields have grown together over the past two weeks, and the veteran has really stepped up his game.

The question will be if he can continue to show that progress when Wilson returns to work with the starters.

LOSER: ROMAN WILSON

Injuries are a fact of life in football, but it was especially painful timing for Steelers rookie Roman Wilson to go down last Tuesday. He was just starting to turn the corner after a struggle this spring when he suffered an ankle injury. He’s already out of his walking boot, so it seems that he might not miss that much time, but it’s critical time for a rookie that needed to be showing growth to earn a role. Excuse the Tomlinism, but he’ll have to get on a moving train when he returns to get back into the playing time picture.

WINNER: NATE HERBIG

When Omar Khan said this offseason that he had faith in Nate Herbig as a starting center option, a lot of folks dismissed it. When they drafted Zach Frazier in the second round, it seemed likely that the youngster would be the starting center. That might still happen, but Herbig is doing his best to hold Frazier off. He hasn’t had a single errant snap throughout camp, and his run blocking has been incredible at times. There are still questions about whether he’s athletic enough to get to the second level in run blocking, and pass protection has never been his forte, but so far, Herbig has been clearly the better center.

LOSER: JEREMIAH MOON

All three Steelers candidates for their fourth edge rusher job suffered injuries this week, and certainly David Perales and Kyron Johnson could be listed in this category, as well. But Jeremiah Moon was the player that had been leading that group of three vying for one spot. Then all three got hurt. Then the Steelers signed Markus Golden. Now that outside linebacker four competition has all but vanished, and Moon’s only path to the roster seems to be a special teams role.

WINNER: JACK COLLETTO

The amount of fullback usage from Arthur Smith’s offense has been striking so far, with Colletto, Connor Heyward and MyCole Pruitt all taking snaps out of the backfield. But the majority of those reps are going to Colletto, an unheralded second-year former collegiate linebacker. It’s not a lock that he makes the team at this point, but the chances have certainly gone way up.

LOSER: QUEZ WATKINS

He’s made some nice catches when he gets the ball thrown his way, but there hasn’t been nearly enough consistent separation for that to happen often enough from the speedy wideout. It’s not that Watkins has been passed on the depth chart, but with the WR2 job wide open entering camp, he’s done little to push for that role.

Training Camp Pittsburgh Steelers CB Ryan Watts

WINNER: RYAN WATTS

I thought the Steelers might have something of a project in converting college cornerback Ryan Watts into an NFL safety. It turns out, that might not be a very difficult project. Watts has taken to his new role, and is already making big plays, with two interceptions over the weekend. He’s a player that has likely played his way onto the 53-man roster with his work at training camp so far.

LOSER: KYLER McMICHAEL

Guys at the bottom of the depth chart don’t get many chances to make a first impression, and the first week was a rough one for newly signed cornerback Kyler McMichael. He was slow to pick up on Grady Brown’s instructions during individual drills, and has given up a boatload of big players in 1 on 1 and team periods.

WINNER: TARIK BLACK

The newest wide receiver on the squad, on the other hand, has been a pleasant surprise through his first week. Tarik Black looks the part physically, and has caught everything that’s been throw his way. He could be someone who sticks around.