With Saint Vincent College opening its doors to the Pittsburgh Steelers today, the 2019 NFL season is officially here. Pittsburgh’s quest to return to the postseason, and ultimately capture their seventh Super Bowl, begins today. The biggest change for the 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers will be the absence of Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Will the loss of such talent be too much for the team to overcome? Or will younger stars emerge and lead Pittsburgh back to the top of the AFC North?
What to Expect at Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp
These questions will play themselves out in front of us in the coming months. As for day one in Latrobe, a lot of news is already flying out of Steelers training camp.
To start, Pittsburgh announced today that they will be extending coach Mike Tomlin through 2021. The one-year extension also has an option for a second year. The commitment to Tomlin is bold, but not overconfident. They didn’t give him another five years or something of that nature. This shows they still have their coach’s back, but will not over secure Tomlin to his position.
T.J. Watt has been moved to the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Watt felt discomfort in his left hamstring after the final rep of the team’s run test. Tomlin believes the move will be a short one, with Watt being ready to return to the field soon.
Sticking to the defensive side of the ball, Mike Hilton not only reported to camp today but also signed his one year tender. While Hilton is still looking for a long-term contract, he signed the tender to show he is here to stay. Hilton has come to be a surprising strong point in a relatively weak secondary. Securing Hilton long term will be very beneficial to a team still looking to piece together a strong secondary. Also, how refreshing is it to have a player in contract negotiations without drama? Hilton will certainly earn a good contract this season with continued production.
Hilton will most likely be next in line for an extension behind Joe Haden. With Pittsburgh’s number one cornerback down to the last year on his contract, talk has begun. Haden told Ray Fittipaldo of the Post-Gazette that he is “optimistic” about a new deal. Pittsburgh certainly needs to make extending Haden a top priority. The best way to build that secondary is by solidifying the foundation that Haden brings as a reliable veteran.
Cam Heyward announced that he will be continuing his partnership with Nike. While this is relatively small news, it is still important. Heyward has become a vocal leader in the Steelers locker room. His no-nonsense approach to football shows in his production on the field. Off the field, Heyward is also a leader who is heavily involved in the community. Heyward deserves a good deal with Nike. This is great individual news to be celebrated for a guy who always has a team-first mentality.
The best news of the day came from Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. Kaboly reported via twitter, “JuJu (Smith-Schuster) walks in quietly to the side of the building. Few even noticed him.” This is the type of maturity that you want to see from your number one wide receiver. No fancy cars. No helicopters. Just business. A lot of pressure will fall on the young wide out’s shoulders this season. The best way to deal with that is professionalism which Smith-Schuster is making a conscious effort to do.
Practices will begin tomorrow, with Pittsburgh’s first preseason game scheduled for August 9 at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
