2018 Steelers Training Camp – Day 11 Recap

With only a few days away until their first preseason game against the defending champions Philadelphia Eagles, the Pittsburgh Steelers returned to St. Vincent field for practice after a well-deserved day off. With many of their starters either not in attendance or limited, the Steelers still managed to put together a reasonable practice session.

Today's storylines include a highly-touted undrafted free agent prospect that continues to perform at a high level, players unavailable for Thursday night's game and the return of Tony Toe Tap.

So Steelers fans, let's go!

Injury Report

The Steelers received good news in regards to the status of star receiver Antonio Brown. As reported by ESPN senior NFL writer Jeremy Fowler, Brown was able to get some work in and participated in individual drills, as reported by DKPittsburghSports writer Dale Lolley. Brown's injury was confirmed by Senior Steelers writer Mark Kaboly as "a little hip flexor injury". By all accounts, Brown is still not close to being ready to participate at full capacity, but his presence is a relief to many Steelers fans.

Brown aside, many of the currently ailing players did not participate in this afternoon's session; TJ Watt (hamstring), Vance McDonald (foot), Juju Smith-Schuster (knee), Keion Adams (undisclosed), and Brian Allen (undisclosed). Both cornerback Joe Haden and receiver Marcus Tucker returned to action, while outside linebacker Bud Dupree was observed jogging on the sidelines as he is still in concussions protocol according to Lolley's report. Lastly, an injury scare occurred during one of the drills to All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey. As reported by Pittsburgh Gazette writer Ray Fittipaldo, Pouncey limped off the field with trainer John Norwig but was later seen jogging on the field. Considering Pouncey's history of unexpected injuries, the outcome was much better than many expected.

News and Notes

• As announced by head coach Mike Tomlin, several starters and injured players would not see action on Thursday night against the Eagles. Confirmed names include Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Bud Dupree, TJ Watt and Vance McDonald. Although the quarterback rotation for Thursday's game has not been determined, one thing that is guaranteed is that it will not include Roethlisberger.
• With Watt and Dupree both absent, outside linebackers Anthony Chickillo and Ola Adeniyi ran with the first-team as reported by Lolley.

• Writer James C Wexell at Steel City Insider revealed some of the defensive formations seen at training camp, and likely to be used this upcoming season.

• Haden did not waste time in making an impression in his return. He accounted for a pass deflection which was intercepted by safety Morgan Burnett during "seven shots" as noted by "Locked on Steelers" host Tony Serino.

• Today's Top Performer - linebacker Matthew Thomas: Sometimes where one is drafted (or not drafted) makes no difference if you are given natural gifts and the drive to materialize them into something great. When chatting with Thomas back in July, I mentioned how I was counting on him to show everyone he can do, his response was simple and succinct; "Oh they'll find out real soon". With layers of expectations laid upon him even before OTAs, Thomas has played above them. From all reports given since the first day of training camp; he has not missed a practice, he has been among the first to arrive on the field, a top performer in 'backers on backs' and continues to make splash plays during team drills. At this point, he should be taken seriously as a candidate to make the 53-man roster. Here are some of the plays he made via Serino's notes;

then via Founder and CEO of NoleGameday.com, Logan B. Robinson

Camp Photos and Sounds

From Steelers.com