Steelers Training Camp Nuggets: What you need to know from the 8/9 practice

Today’s practice session was short, but intense. Less than two days before the Steelers play their first preseason game, the team held their last practice at St. Vincent College before heading to New York tomorrow.

Here is a recap of today’s session.

Injury Report:

Well, the list of injured players continues to increase with some new faces. Wide Receiver Demarcus Ayers was out with an undisclosed injury, safety Sean Davis did not participate with an undisclosed injury, linebacker Anthony Chickillo was out with a hip flexor strain sustained in yesterday’s session, and center Maurkice Pouncey was out with an undisclosed injury.

The remaining list of players who did not participate: Artie Burns (lower body), Mike Mitchell (lower body), Senquez Golson (hamstring), Cameron Sutton (lower body), Ryan Shazier (lower body), Keion Adams (shoulder), Justin Hunter (shoulder/arm).

Offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva was back in pads today, but fellow lineman Chris Hubbard was the one seen with first team. Wide receiver Sammie Coates was seen running on the auxiliary field at full speed, and seems he is very close to returning. On the same field, newly reinstated receiver Martavis Bryant was also seen training. ESPN Senior Writer Jeremy Fowler described Bryant as looking “explosive”. What was noticeable about Bryant was his size; he is currently training at 230 lbs.

Notable Performers:

• Linebacker T.J. Watt had a good day, especially in one-on-ones, when he made several plays vs running backs. As a tribute to his performance, Fowler reported overhearing coach Mike Tomlin say: “pedigree is showing up” .
• Running back Trey Williams displayed some sweet moves during the ‘Open field’ drill. He reportedly had trouble at the beginning, but when he got the hang of it, he juked past linebackers Keith Kelsey, then Bud Dupree as seen in this clip:

• Tyler Matakevich had a great day; overall he is having a great camp. For a player that doesn’t possess the natural athletic skills like Ryan Shazier, his instincts make up for it exponentially. Today he accounted for a pick-six off a pass from Joshua Dobbs in 7-on-7, and a pass breakup on tight end Jesse James from Ben Roethlisberger. As it stands, he is listed ahead of L.J. Fort as top reserve linebacker, and rightfully so.
• Wide Receiver Canaan Severin is becoming a bit of deep threat. As was the case in yesterday’s session, he caught another deep pass, this time over cornerback JaCorey Shepherd. Severin is one of those players who many may disregard, but has the type of talent which can make you pay attention. If he is able to translate his strong performance as of late into the upcoming preseason games, things could get interesting.
• Lastly, cornerback Mike Hilton was at it again, making life difficult for the quarterbacks. Today he accounted for two pass breakups, one which should have been an interception, but was dropped. This week alone, he has averaged at least one pass breakup per session. We will all find out if Hilton is for real, or just a camp star, in the upcoming preseason games.

Free Martavis Counter: IS OVER!!!