Steelers Training Camp Nuggets: What you need to know from the 8/18 practice

On the final day of this year’s training camp, the Steelers moved their last practice to Latrobe High School. This has been certainly a camp of many revelations, and some disappointments. We, as Steelers fans, we appreciate the effort each player puts into each practice session, and the road to the Superbowl begins in training camp. With that comes the hope that each player who ends up on the final roster, contributes collectively in bringing the Lombardi trophy back to the city of champions.

The storylines in this last session: the return of a key player after a long absence, an early camp riser who did not have a good day, and more injury news.

So for the last time Steelers fans, let’s go!

Injury Report:

The return of linebacker Ryan Shazier was a welcome sight to Steelers fans in attendance. As reported by PennLive.com’s Jacob Klinger, Shazier was seen dressed in pads, but his participation was minimal as he was practicing mainly with the second-team and scout defenses. Offensive lineman B.J. Finney was back on the field today, after being carted out in yesterday’s session due to dehydration. Rookie cornerback Cameron Sutton was reported by Klinger involved in individual drills; this was also the case for rookie running back James Conner, and receiver Demarcus Ayers.

The remaining list of players who did not participate in today’s session: Mike Mitchell (lower body), Senquez Golson (hamstring), JuJu Smith-Schuster (leg), and Keion Adams (shoulder).

Steelers Photo of the Day:

Photo provided by @Steel_Curtain4

Training Camp Action:

In the brief discussion I had with Klinger, it appeared that receiver Justin Hunter did not have a good day. At the time of our discussion, Hunter had already dropped two balls in the one-on-ones. Even with the dropped balls, the main concern was Hunter’s response to the dropped balls, as he was visibly affected by it. As Klinger noted in this post-practice report, head coach Mike Tomlin shouted, “What wrong with 11, Richard Mann?” Tomlin further continued, "he's got that bad body language."

Notable Receivers: (as noted in Klinger’s post-practice report)

• Cobi Hamilton caught a deep ball tipped by cornerback Greg Ducre.
• Sammie Cotes with two catches. One in front of cornerback Brian Allen, and a deep ball on cornerback Brandon Dixon, which is his specialty.
• A 75-yard touchdown by Martavis Bryant, covered by cornerback Ross Cockrell.

Struggling Receivers: (as noted in Klinger’s post-practice report)

• Darrius Heyward-Bey overall had a poor camp and it did not get better today. According to Klinger, Heyward-Bey dropped a catchable pass, which has been a common theme throughout camp.
• Justin Hunter simply had a bad day. In addition to dropping two passes, he reportedly ran the wrong route in one of the sequences. Hunter has not had a good showing since the return of Coates, so it will be interesting to see how he performs in these upcoming preseason games.

Notable Performer:

Coty Sensabaugh: According to Klinger of PennLive.com, he believes that “Sensabaugh has emerged as the clear No. 3 or No. 4 cornerback”, after overcoming early struggles in camp. Today he accounted for an interception on Martavis Bryant, which is nothing to snooze at considering most of the corners have struggled against Bryant. Sensabaugh is someone that Steelers fans should follow closely during the upcoming preseason games.