Winners and Losers From Steelers Training Camp

The best player on the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been Jalen Ramsey. T.J. Watt doesn't do much during team drills, trying to keep the Defensive Player of the Year finalist healthy for the season, and with him on the sideline, Ramsey has looked insane.

Whoever started the narrative that Ramsey may have lost a step, or that he isn't as good as he once was wasn't watching. He's as fast as any wide receiver he covers, has incredible instincts for the football and is as physical as cornerbacks come.

The cornerback group as a whole looks elite. The defense looks elite. And Jalen Ramsey looks like the core to it all.

James Pierre

The Steelers lost Cory Trice Jr. to a hamstring injury that is believed to be significant. In his absence, James Pierre has bursted onto the scene, coming up with multiple interceptions and continuing to lead the way on special teams for the Steelers.

Coming into training camp, Pierre felt like a long-shot to make the 53-man roster. Now, it certainly feels like he's going to make this season. And if he can continue his turnover ways in the preseason, it's be nearly impossible to deny him a spot.

Juan Thornhill

The Steelers secondary had one worrisome piece heading into training camp and that was free safety. After trading Minkah Fitzpatrick, everyone speculated about how significant the drop off would be to Thornhill. So far, it hasn't been much.

There is no clear gap in coverage for the Steelers, and the defense looks so elite that you can't even tell who's playing where. Thornhill has fit in perfectly with the group, bringing a chippiness and an edge to the secondary that matches Ramsey, Darius Slay, DeShon Elliott and Joey Porter Jr.

The additions of Thornhill and Chuck Clark seem to be enough to keep this secondary strong, and Thornhill looks like a starter the Steelers won't have to worry about.

Scotty Miller

The Steelers' second-best wide receiver at training camp has been Scotty Miller. His route running is quick, and he's constantly open. Whether it's beating the second team or beating Darius Slay on a crossing route for a touchdown, Miller is catching everything, looks explosive and is the most reliable pass-catcher on the team - and that includes DK Metcalf.

It's still not a guarantee Miller makes the 53-man roster, but there's no denying that if the Steelers kept their best five, Miller's name would have to be among them. He's playing better than Roman Wilson and Robert Woods, who were the assumed WR3 and WR4. Right now, he's one of the best playrs on the offense.

Mason McCormick

The Steelers two best offensive linemen right now are Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick. The expectations coming into training camp were that Fautanu was going to be just fine, as he looked great before his injury last season. But McCormick struggled by the end of last year, and there wasn't a real understanding of where he'd be this season.

Well, where he is is pretty good. The right guard is able to hold his own against Cam Heyward, Derrick Harmon and Keeanu Benton and looks vastly improved from a year ago.

Whether it's just that he's more comfortable or really grew that much in a year is unknown, but McCormick looks like a stud amongst a group that hasn't played the best.

Jack Sawyer

Jack Sawyer is bigger than anticipated and looks much better than a fourth-round rookie was expected to look. As the fourth outside linebacker. Sawyer is taking plenty of reps with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith resting on the sideline. Now that Highsmith is dealing with a groin injury, Sawyer's playing time will only improve.

So far, so good, though, as the Ohio State product looks physical, has the ability to beat players around the edge and looks very comfortable at the NFL level.

Losers

Roman Wilson

Roman Wilson came into Steelers training camp with every opportunity to be the third wide receiver in the rotation. But so far, he's done very little to standout amongst the crowd.

Outside of a jump ball over Joey Porter Jr. in one-on-one drills, Wilson hasn't had many flashy moments. His route running hasn't gotten him open much, and moreso fell into the background that solidified himself as part of the offense.

Pittsburgh is still trying to give him a shot to be their third weapon at wide receiver, but with the offense struggling and Wilson not doing much to improve it, they may need to start considering other options before the season.

Broderick Jones

Broderick Jones does not look good. He's getting beat by Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig on a consistent basis, and the low-light reels that are making their way across the internet are only a small glimpse to how bad it's been at times.

During one-on-one drills, the Steelers desperately tried to get Jones to win a rep against Highsmith, but each time things got worse. Jones got beat off the ball on the first rep, let Highsmith in untouched on the second and then things looked a lot of the same on the third.

The Steelers need their former first-round pick to become starter-worthy, but he doesn't seem to be getting any closer. And now dealing with a groin injury that is limiting him at practice, it's time to seriously question how bad things can get if Jones isn't capable of protecting Aaron Rodgers' blindside.

Steelers Offense

The Steelers offense looks rough. On the final day of the second week of training camp, the team did goal line drills twice. The first one, seven-shots, the offense scored once with Evan Hull forcing his way across the goal line. Then, playing team drills from the one-yard line, Darnell Washington in a pass from Aaron Rodgers was the only score on five attempts.

They finished the day 2-12.

Rodgers and his wide receivers still don't appear to be on the same page. The running game can't get anything going because the offensive line can't win a battle against the defensive front. And there are some major concerns about where the third wide receiver is and if Broderick Jones is good enough to start.

Through 10 practices, the Steelers offense has won one day. Besides that, things have not looked good. And you're starting to wonder if the defense is that elite, or if the offense is that bad. Either way, it's a concern that they can't get much going.