Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp: ‘Friday Night Lights’ and weekend roundup

Friday Night Lights

After a week filled with heat and weather that changed practice patterns, the Steelers – and their fans – were pumped up to get on the field for Friday Night Lights; the event similar to a high school reunion scrimmage. At Memorial Stadium, new players to the team were able to experience one of the favorite practices of the entirety of training camp.

“We got a lot of exciting things on the team right now and a lot exciting times ahead. We’re looking forward to that. I think the fans feel that, as well.” – Pat Freiermuth

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was dealing with an injury setback, but that gave Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey the opportunity to work in tandem in front of the crowd. Another tandem, this time on offense, was Dylan Cook and Spencer Anderson playing left tackle and guard, respectively.

Roster changes

The Steelers made some adjustments to their camp roster before the weekend fully kicked off. On the 31st, guard Isaac Seumalo was removed from the non-football injury list. The team signed defensive tackle Kyler Baugh and waved Jacob Slay who was injured. The Steelers also brought back DT Breiden Fehoko and moved Dean Lowry to the reserved/injured list.

“That rookie’s big as s***. I stood next to him, Yahya (Black), I told ‘T.A.’ (DC Austin), ‘Get this guy away from me, I feel like I’m 5-foot-5.’ (Derrick) Harmon shook my hand, nearly broke it. I said, ‘Don’t do that again.’” – Brandon Fehoko to Mike Prisuta

Dog Days of Summer

Head coach Mike Tomlin described training camp practices as the “dog days of summer” and reinforced how the coaching staff has rested some of the veteran players in order to open the sessions over the weekend for players competing for roster positions.

“We bring the week to a close with some significant football,” Tomlin said in a post-practice press conference following Day 10.

With just a week until the Steelers play their first preseason game of the 2025 NFL season, the impetus is on cleaning up execution – which having NFL officials work with the team has helped with – and continuing to develop as a team. Tomlin expressed a focus on allowing players to show what they are capable of, saying, “Let the talent be the deciding factor.”

Looking ahead to the next few days

Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith may be dealing with a groin injury, but an update will be needed before it can be determined whether it is serious. Tomlin mentioned there were other players who had a few “bumps and bruises.” Those injuries are considered non-serious.

The Steelers will travel to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars on August 9th. That means every minute of practice is intended to translate in a game situation moving forward.

Rookie OLB Jack Sawyer stood out in several of the practice periods on Sunday, both individually and during 11-on-11 drills. Likewise, TE Darnell Washington has been stringing some big plays together throughout the week and weekend, garnering attention from his teammates and fans.