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Perhaps some of the Steelers are still in some ice after Monday's first contact practice. They'll be suited up again Wednesday, as the roster continues the early stages of development.
Much of the focus so far in camp has been on the running backs, where slimmed down Jonathan Dwyer competes with rookie Le'Veon Bell and incumbent Isaac Redman for the top back honors. Bell's reps with the first team mean little, according to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. While that isn't likely to be his final decision, the tighter the competition is, the more likely the Steelers will continue with something of a run-by-committee approach.
It's a good problem to have, but it's a two-way street: the question is whether one back earned the bulk of the carries, or whether the back-ups didn't.
On the other side, injuries are nagging at the Steelers' cornerback depth, with Cortez Allen and DeMarcus Van Dyke having missed time with a knee injury and a hamstring injury, respectively. Nothing suggests they're expected to miss significant time, but each day out is another opportunity for other corners to get work.
Van Dyke can be considered on the bubble, while Allen is penciled in as the starter, opposite Ike Taylor.
Tight end David Paulson has gotten some ink lately in regards to his growth from Year 1 to 2. He'll take reps with the first team in 2-TE packages along with Matt Spaeth.
The Steelers signed Spaeth this offseason after he did a two-year stint in Chicago. He was drafted by the Steelers in 2007. The Steelers also signed another former University of Minnesota tight end, John Rabe, Tuesday.
Practice is at 2:55 ET Wednesday, with just eight sessions remaining before the Steelers' first preseason game, Aug. 10 against the Giants in Pittsburgh.
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