2018 Steelers Training Camp – Day 9 Recap

Following a physical and intense 'Friday Night Lights' session, the Pittsburgh Steelers returned to St. Vincent Field for a Saturday afternoon unpadded practice. A new element was added, as head coach Mike Tomlin had his quarterbacks run the two-minute drill towards the end of today's session.

This afternoon's storylines include a receiver that did not have his mind right, an undrafted free agent get better with every session and a usual suspect who is arguably this year's training camp MVP.

So Steelers fans, let's go!

Injury Report

As expected, several Steelers player sat out of this afternoon's session with various injuries. The players included All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown (undisclosed), outside linebacker Bud Dupree (concussion protocol), outside linebacker TJ Watt (hamstring), rookie tackle Chuks Okorafor (shoulder), receiver Marcus Tucker (ankle), tight end Vance McDonald (foot), and cornerback Coty Sensabaugh (back). Tackle Alejandro Villanueva, who was previously out with a shoulder injury, participated this afternoon; however was later seen in pain as described writer Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Cornerback Joe Haden was given this afternoon's practice off, in his place at first-team was undrafted free agent rookie Jamar Summer, as reported by Dale Lolley of DKPittsburghSports. Receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was back in action as reported by Christopher Carter of DKPittsburghSports. Lastly, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was present and a full participant in this afternoon's session.

Camp Notes

• The Steelers defense pulled off yet another victory in 'seven shots', with a final tally of 4-3. Second-year quarterback Joshua Dobbs accounted for the last score in the drill.

• After a rocky start, rookie quarterback Mason Rudolph is seemingly getting more acclimated, as he had a good showing, as reported by 'Locked on Steelers' host Tony Serino.

• As reported by Carter and Serino, rookie undrafted free agent linebacker Matthew Thomas is also getting very comfortable and is letting his natural abilities show. From all accounts, Thomas made a few impressive plays this afternoon.

• Second-year receiver Juju Smith-Schuster did not have a good day. As detailed by senior Steelers writer Mark Kaboly, Smith-Schuster ran the wrong route on two occasions, resulting Roethlisberger making the assertion that he was not ready mentally this afternoon. The explanation for this may stem from his ongoing knee issues, which Kaboly noted seeing him with a bag of ice over it and did not partake in the final drills.

• The two-minute drill made its first appearance in this year training camp during the last 11-on-11 segment. As detailed by ESPN senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler, each quarterback was given at midfield with no more than 1:40 to get into the end zone. Here is how each quarterback fared courtesy of Fowler:

• Today's Top Performer - rookie James Washington: At this point, Washington is making a case for training camp MVP. In practically every session, Washington had been able to either make combat catches or catches with high-degree of difficulty. By all the reports, he was making all types of catches. Here are some examples:

Camp Sounds and Photos

From Steelers.com