LATROBE, Pa. — This is the time of the year that I hear the same questions no matter where I go, especially if it is a family event like my Bub’s 97th birthday party over the weekend.
“Hey, how does JuJu look up at camp?”
Or, “How does Bush look? I loved him at Michigan.”
Or, “How does that Ola kid look? I’ve heard he’s killing it.”
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Or, “How does that rookie wide receiver look? Is he better than Washington?”
The Steelers have nine of their scheduled 14 training camp practices in the books, so this is an excellent time to answer that omnipresent question: “Hey Kaboly, how does he look up at Steelers training camp so far?”
Well, here’s how I think they’ve looked so far up at camp:
(Note: If a player isn’t mentioned, then that’s probably not a good sign.)
Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger — When you are 37 and taking part in your 16th training camp, evaluations are a little different than, say, you are in your first or second camp. Roethlisberger has been relatively healthy, and that’s the most significant observation through nine practices. Mike Tomlin is making sure of that by giving Roethlisberger some extra time off, especially over the weekend. When Roethlisberger has been in there, he’s been sharp. He has yet to throw an interception during a team drill, something of which he’s very conscious having led the league in picks last year. There have been some errant throws, but Roethlisberger said he has thrown bad balls on purpose (believe him or not) to see if a receiver or running back can catch a bad ball.
Josh Dobbs — Dobbs has struggled so far, but he did the same thing last year early in camp. He looked excellent in the two-minute drill Saturday, but his accuracy has been suspect all camp. Dobbs has been at his best when he’s been able to move around and create plays. That’s frowned upon, for the most part, in a training camp setting, but that’s why he will always be better in games than practices.
Mason Rudolph — Rudolph hasn’t been much better than Dobbs, but he’s miles ahead of where he was last year at this time, when he looked like he never played the game during the first week of camp. He got better as the preseason went on then rarely practiced throughout the regular season as No. 3 on the depth chart. Rudolph’s arm looks stronger, and his decisions have been solid. But he needs to be more consistent to wrestle the backup spot from Dobbs
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Devlin Hodges (rookie) — The fourth quarterback on the roster is a camp arm and usually is ignored by many, including the offensive coordinator. But Hodges continues to flash during the limited reps he has had. That makes you want to see more of him. He’s not big; he doesn’t have a cannon for an arm, and he came from a small school (Samford). But his accuracy has been impressive. He has dropped passes into tight spots that you see from starters in this league. Who knows? But if he continues this and Rudolph grabs the No. 2 spot, maybe Dobbs becomes trade bait.
Running backs
James Conner — Conner hasn’t missed practice, but hasn’t necessarily been in the middle of things, either. He’s taken limited team reps and has been held out of all of the individual contact drills under the coaching staff’s orders. So, it’s challenging to get a read on how Conner has been performing. He did get a chance with the live goal-line drill on Sunday and scored, so there’s that. Conner is going to be the workhorse again, so it’s a smart decision by Tomlin to limit contact early. I will say this: I’ve seen several above-the-line catches by Conner in camp.
Jaylen Samuels — Samuels is like Randy Fichtner’s Christmas toy that he didn’t learn to play with until the following year. Last year, the Steelers wanted to see if Samuels was a professional football player. This year, he’s been a significant part of their offense, whether it’s been the backup running back or, more importantly, that jack-of-all-trades offensive weapon that can line up just about everywhere. Samuels has been a matchup nightmare for the defense in camp because he’s more than just a running back who can catch.
Benny Snell Jr. — Snell is a hard-runner and a little quicker than I was expecting, but he’s a rookie out there making rookie mistakes. The blocking has been suspect at times, which is almost expected out of rookies. But Snell is a passionate, tough and competitive football player but needs work in many areas — and with the number of reps he’s getting, he could get it faster than usual.
Ralph Webb (sleeper) — Webb is fast as a hiccup and has been able to make some plays with his speed. Man, he is quick and he can catch the ball out of the backfield and quickly transition to speed. He was on the practice squad last year.
Trey Edmunds (sleeper) — Edmunds runs with violence and power. I would say he’s the most powerful runner of the backs, and he’s a good special team player as well.
Wide receivers
JuJu Smith-Schuster — Smith-Schuster has been spectacular and has taken his game to another level. You might ask how do I know that? Well, put it this way: he’s significantly better than his first two camps, and those seasons turned out pretty well. Smith-Schuster has done a little bit of everything: in the slot, catching red-zone scores, racing past Joe Haden or Steven Nelson, knocking Justin Layne into next week during a blocking drill. Honestly, I haven’t seen any negatives. What I have noticed is that his legs are much bigger (must’ve been working out all offseason) and his speed is better. Oh yeah, and there’s much more maturity.
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Donte Moncrief — There has been little to go off with Moncrief. He hurt his finger and hasn’t participated much since then, so it’s hard to say one way or another about if he’s the Moncrief who toiled around in mediocrity in Indianapolis and Jacksonville or the guy who looked like a potential starter this spring. Surely the last two weeks of camp will reveal that.
James Washington — Washington is having nowhere near the camp he had last year, but that’s to be expected. Washington’s rookie preseason was one of the best I have ever seen. We all know that didn’t translate into September and beyond. His camp has been ho-hum to me so far. He’s made his share of plays but not as much as you would probably like to see. It has been noticeable that he’s stronger and faster than his rookie season.
Ryan Switzer — Switzer isn’t going to wow you, but he’s just going to be in the right place, make catches, deke defenders and move the chains. He’s shown to be one tough bugger missing only a portion of a practice after getting smacked by a defender.
Eli Rogers — Rogers had a couple of solid practices early but faded a little. He appears to be 100 percent healthy, finally, and that’s shown in how he gets in and out of breaks, as well as his acceleration.
Diontae Johnson (rookie) — He’s been good and bad — just what you expect out of a rookie. Johnson caught four touchdowns in Seven Shots in four days and flashed some excellent routes. But he needs to be in better condition and requires about 10 pounds of more muscle before he can be considered an asset to this offense.
Diontae Spencer (sleeper) — The CFL star is small — very small. But he keeps flashing as a receiver and a return guy. On Sunday, he caught a 50-yard touchdown pass, so he’s not going away, that’s for sure. He can make this team or at very least make the practice squad.
Tight ends
Vance McDonald — McDonald is another one of those veterans that Tomlin isn’t exposing to the grind of training camp as much as others. With his injury history, that’s smart, but you aren’t getting a read on where he is. You probably don’t need to know where he is, though, based off last year.
Xavier Grimble — Grimble has all the talent in the world, but the inconsistencies are still there. He’ll make a nice catch, then drop one. He’ll blow up somebody in “back on backers” drill, then get blown up himself. I know I had Grimble as my top pick for Camp Phenom, so maybe I was expecting more than what I’ve seen so far.
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Zach Gentry (rookie) — He’s need to get stronger.
Kevin Rader (sleeper) — The Pine-Richland grad is the third-best tight end on the roster right now. He’s gotten some first-team snaps and has been OK so far.
Offensive line
• Note: The Steelers return their top four linemen for the fifth straight year. The top four haven’t taken enough live reps during camp to make an evaluation.
Matt Feiler — In my opinion, nobody is having a better camp than Feiler. I am sure he has made mistakes and has been beat, but I haven’t seen it yet. You aren’t going to bull rush him, and he’s shown time and time again that you aren’t going to speed rush him, either. Ola Adeniyi was unstoppable for four practices before getting first-team reps and going up against Feiler, who totally neutralized him. To me, he’s already won the right tackle job.
B.J. Finney — Finney has been good wherever they have put him, and they’ve put him at both guards and center. Finney isn’t going to wow you with his body, but the guy they call “SpongeBob” is as technically sound as you are going to find.
Zach Banner — Banner has worked himself into shape (down to 344 pounds), and that has given him a shot to stick around. He’s struggled with consistency and some technique issues, but he seems to learn from them quickly. Also, Banner has this pissed-off demeanor on the field, which is something he did not have last year.
Chuks Okorafor — Okorafor is progressing nicely, and his physicality has been the most noticeable attribute in this camp to me.
Fred Johnson — He’s a massive man who can play both tackle and guard. Of course, he’s going through some growing pains, but his power has overcome a lot of that. Did I mention that he’s a massive human?
Defensive line
Cam Heyward — Talk about a man who is invested in every play, whether he’s on the field or not. A couple days ago, he was screaming for the third team to make a stop on one of the final days of practice. Oh yeah, and he’s been playing like Cam Heyward and hasn’t taken much time off.
Javon Hargrave — To be honest, I haven’t noticed Hargrave much. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been good. We know what he can do on the field from last year, so I wouldn’t be concerned.
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Stephon Tuitt — Tuitt was quiet during the early portions of camp but has ramped it up over the past couple days. What stands out about Tuitt is that he gives it all on every play. That goes in games and that goes in meaningless training camp practices.
Tyson Alualu — There might not be a better run-stuffer on the team. He clogs up things and has a real knack for splitting double teams, which has been on display several times through nine practices.
Dan McCullers — McCullers is already in his sixth season, and he’s getting an opportunity for more reps. McCullers has taken several reps in the nickel defense, where he can rush the passer more. I’m not quite sure that’s where he is his most effective, but somebody must see something in him. He’s 6-foot-8, so a lot of his issues are predictable: he gets too high, and when he does, he is easily blocked. If he stays low, he will push the lineman five yards deep into the backfield, every time.
Isaiah Buggs (rookie) — Buggs has potential but has spent the first week feeling his way through the defense. He had a sack Sunday night at Heinz Field, and I would expect him show up in a big way Friday when the Steelers play the Bucs.
Outside linebackers
Bud Dupree — Dupree passes the eye test. He’s big, strong, physical and fast but transferring that into more than a six-sack season is the next step. Like some of the others, Tomlin isn’t interested in seeing too much of Dupree yet. That surely will change as the preseason goes on.
T.J. Watt — Watt injured his hamstring during the run test. He was removed from the PUP list Sunday but did nothing more than warm up. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to see anything out of Watt in camp to know he’s going to be ready Week 1. Just look back to last year.
Anthony Chickillo — Chickillo is fully healthy, and that has shown up in his speed rushes. Other than Adeniyi, Chickillo gets off the ball faster than anybody on the team. And he’s shown more strength, too.
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Ola Adeniyi — Adeniyi has been fabulous. After the first couple of practices, he had you wondering if he was a legitimate candidate to take some snaps away from Dupree. We had to pump the breaks a little bit after a couple of practices where he was moved to first-team and was pretty much neutralized. Still, Adeniyi is in a place where he should see regular-season reps as part of a rotation when Watt or Dupree gets tired.
Tuzar Skipper (rookie) — He’s adjusting from being a hand-on-the-ground defensive end to a standup 3-4 outside linebacker quicker than expected. One thing that stands out about Skipper is the man is a violent striker.
Sutton Smith (rookie) — Smith needs about 10-15 pounds of muscle before he has a legitimate shot of contributing to this team, other than on special teams.
Inside linebackers
Vince Williams — It appears the Steelers are trying to find a defined role for Williams. It’s probably going to be a lot in the base, but it’s also going to entail plenty of inside pass rushing. Williams has been nearly unstoppable in that element of his game so far in camp. Has he lost a step? Maybe. Can he cover down the field? Perhaps not. I’d ask him, but he’s in his training camp-intensity, I-don’t-have-time-for-your-crap mode, so there’s no use.
Devin Bush (rookie) — He’s been spectacular. Consider what they are putting on his plate daily only enhances what he’s been able to do. I don’t want to get out of hand with superlatives because that’s not my style, but he’s as advertised. He can cover. He can run. He can go sideline-to-sideline. And he’s shown the ability to be physical in the run game, even though he’s probably the shortest linebacker the Steelers have ever had.
Mark Barron — Barron hasn’t been on the field a ton, but he doesn’t need to be to see that he’s a huge upgrade from last year. He can still run, don’t get me wrong, but his best attribute is his smarts.
Tyler Matakevich — Matakevich has all the heart in the world and has shown flashes of being a physical pass rusher, but there hasn’t been much more than that.
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Robert Spillane — Spillane could be the guy who ultimately takes Matakevich’s roster spot. Spillane is nasty, hyper, engaged and, the big thing, he’s made some plays.
Ulysses Gilbert (rookie) — With Bush and Spillane looking good, Gilbert is going mostly unnoticed. He probably shouldn’t. As I’ve said before, when somebody keeps showing up on a roster of 90, that’s a good thing.
Cornerback
Joe Haden — Haden is Haden. No use in wasting time here.
Steven Nelson — He didn’t have the best practices early, but that has changed. One thing I can say: He’s pretty athletic. Jumping over Trey Griffey to knock down a pass earlier in the week was something to see. Is he Jalen Ramsey? No. But he’s no Coty Sensabaugh, either.
Artie Burns — Burns very well could have the most snaps of any player through nine practices. The Steelers are testing him in every way, as they should. They are giving him No. 1 reps and flipping sides on him. They are testing him mentally and physically and, for the most part, he has performed well. Put it this way: He’s trying very hard. That’s not being condescending, but you can see the effort. Some of that results a play that makes you say, “wow!” and then right after that, you see him do something and say, “wow?”
Mike Hilton — He’s still the best blitzer off the corner the team has, but it seems the Steelers are still concerned with his size in the slot. It’s understandable. He’s taking some reps at safety, but you have to wonder, with Hilton being a restricted free agent next year, if that influences a decision this year.
Cam Sutton — Sutton has been spectacular as well. I’ve seen at least four interceptions — the defense is pushing turnovers hard this year — and that can’t be ignored. He’s played a handful of positions. It appears they fancy him as their dime corner, but I wouldn’t count him out at nickel back. His size is hard to ignore in that position.
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Brian Allen — It’s hard to get a read on Allen. He has the size and speed to be a good cornerback but has been up and down. You would think that he would be a little further ahead at this point of his career. I can say this about Allen: He’s their best gunner on punt coverage.
Justin Layne (rookie) — If there was a prototypical body for a cornerback, that is Layne: tall, long, fast. He needs to add muscle because he has been overpowered a time or two, but then he flashes and makes a pick or a tackle behind the line of scrimmage where it looks like he gets shot out of a cannon.
Safeties
Sean Davis — Davis has barely been on the practice field with a broken finger suffered early in camp, which is surprising. I’d imagine he’d dress and participate in some drills, but that hasn’t been the case.
Terrell Edmunds — Edmunds is one of those guys in whom you can see a vast difference between year one and two. That might sound crazy because of the number of snaps he played as a rookie, but it has been obvious. It just the comfort you see in his play — knowing what to do instead of guessing what he should be doing. That has resulted in some forced turnovers so far.
Kameron Kelly — With Davis out, Kelly has benefited the most by taking almost every first-team snap. Kelly, who played corner for the AAF’s San Diego Fleet in the spring, is versatile and big. With others waiting in line, Kelly has not given up those reps, and that says a lot of what the staff thinks of how he’s been doing.
Marcus Allen — Allen has played safety and some linebacker and has been OK. Compared to last year, he’s a million miles ahead when it comes to between the ears stuff. I know I saw at least one pick, but guys like Allen are measured more on special teams, and that can be repped at full speed in camp.
Jordan Dangerfield — Dangerfield has been around a while but is a little limited in what he can do at safety. If you are looking for a tough box safety, he’s the guy for you. Anywhere else and, hmm…
Kickers
Chris Boswell — When you make 22 of 23 kicks so far in camp with the only one miss a 52-yarder, you can easily deduce that Boswell is having a pretty darn good camp so far. He’s going to need to severely implode in the preseason games for him not to make this roster.
Matthew Wright (rookie) — Wright has made 19 of 22 kicks, but the issue with him — besides being a rookie kicker — is that his leg is not as strong as Boswell’s.
Punters
Jordan Berry — Would like to see him more consistent.
Ian Berryman — He has a big leg for such a small guy.
(Top photo of JuJu Smith-Schuster: Keith Srakocic / AP)
