Steelers' Aaron Rodgers offers promising update after reports of training-camp struggles

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers reportedly lacked chemistry with some Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers during the first couple of weeks of training camp this summer. 

The situation seemed to improve before Rodgers and other starters sat out Pittsburgh's preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars this past Saturday. While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Rodgers touched upon growing more comfortable with targets such as DK Metcalf and 2024 third-round draft pick Roman Wilson.

"I think I'm playing a little bit better," Rodgers told reporters, as shared by Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot. "Feel comfortable in the offense. DK and I have been getting on the same page a little more frequently, which helps."

The Steelers offense was never going to look like a finished product in early August after Rodgers remained an unsigned free agent until shortly before Pittsburgh held its three-day mandatory minicamp in June. On Tuesday, he spoke about the importance of bonding with his new teammates during the camp that Pittsburgh held at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.

"A lot of guys are maybe shy to come up to you, so you’ve got to break the ice often with them," Rodgers said about interacting with other members of the locker room, per Alan Saunders of Steelers Now. "Some of it is just like going down and sitting next to them at lunch, and they kind of go, 'What the hell are you doing here?' 'I’m having lunch, what are you doing here?' But I think that’s part of it. You gotta find ways to break the ice with those guys."

The Steelers will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a joint practice on Thursday before the two teams face off in a preseason game at Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. According to Nick Farabaugh of PennLive, it was unclear as of Tuesday if Rodgers will play against Tampa Bay this coming weekend. 

"Teams are, especially in practice settings, you’re not on film, so they’re less worried about showing things they might be working on," Rodgers said about practicing against the Buccaneers. "And even though there are cameras there to film, if they’re not a coach or player, you don’t know as much of what they will run. So, you just see more."

Rodgers could silence takes about the alleged training-camp struggles of the Pittsburgh offense by producing a solid showing on Thursday. If, however, the Tampa Bay defense walks away from that practice as a big winner, some will continue to believe that Rodgers is no longer capable of being anything more than an average NFL QB1, at best.