Steelers observations: Kaleb Johnson better in pass pro, 2-minute drill fizzles

New York Times

4 hours ago

LATROBE, Pa. — Throughout Will Howard's high school career at Downingtown West, his archrival Coatesville often had his number. For four seasons, Howard never beat the Red Raiders in the regular season.
But in 2019 in the District 1 Class 6A title game, Howard got his redemption, orchestrating touchdown drives of 91 yards and 83 yards in a 48-36 win.
'We'd never beat them,' Howard said. 'In my four years of playing them, we never beat them. … We got them back in the district championship, my last game at home, it was pretty sweet.'
Will Howard walking into Latrobe Memorial Stadium for Friday Night Lights pic.twitter.com/IFykqxB9Yc
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) August 1, 2025
Friday, many of those memories came back as the Pittsburgh Steelers boarded yellow school buses at Saint Vincent College and drove to Latrobe Memorial Stadium for their annual Friday Night Lights event. On a night full of spirited competition and nostalgia, 13,653 fans showed up, representing 36 states, plus Puerto Rico; Washington, D.C.; Germany; Poland; Mexico; and Canada.
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'We had great energy, great competition tonight,' coach Mike Tomlin said. 'It was just an honor to work and get better in front of them and entertain them.'
If Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson is going to become a three-down back, he knows that pass protection is the one area in which he needs to improve. He's been more than willing to work, putting in time before and after practices. However, when the Steelers did the signature drill for the first time earlier in the week, he took his lumps.
Friday, he showed improvements. The most impressive rep came when Tomlin matched up physical downhill linebacker Mark Robinson against Johnson. It was about as big a test as there can be in a practice environment for a young player. The rookie stood up to Robinson, and then Johnson let him know about it. The two got into a pushing match that escalated into a scuffle with several players involved.
After splitting two reps, Robinson won the rubber match with a swim move. Earlier in the drill, Johnson lost but was competitive against Patrick Queen. Against Malik Harrison, Johnson missed on initial contact but kept fighting to the whistle and got some compliments from running backs coach Eddie Faulkner.
'I think it's reasonable to expect (Johnson) to display more comfort,' Tomlin said. 'Play harder and faster. It just comes with exposure. He's a talented young guy, but he is a young guy, so all of these exposures are important to his development.'
Meanwhile, fellow rookie Jack Sawyer showed off his physicality, beating tight end Jonnu Smith on a couple of impressive reps. Sawyer was noticeable on several plays during team period, too, including when he batted down an Aaron Rodgers pass at the line of scrimmage. Against tight end Darnell Washington in one-on-one drills, however, the massive tight end forced Sawyer inside for a clear win.
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Afterward, someone chirped at Washington, 'Not bad for a tackle.'
'Pay me like it then,' Washington quipped back.
Though the offense still has a long way to go before it's a well-oiled machine, Aaron Rodgers got his biggest reaction from the crowd on a team drill without even throwing the football. With nowhere to distribute the football, Rodgers broke the pocket and scampered to the sideline, stiff-arming Sawyer before ducking out of bounds.
Rodgers still has a quick trigger. But due to his age and injury history, the mobility factor is one thing to watch in camp. It was a positive sign to see the 41-year-old QB use his wheels to buy time.
Shortly after Rodgers signed with the Steelers, receiver DK Metcalf was asked how his skills mesh with the veteran QB.
'How quickly he releases the ball, and me getting off the line of scrimmage fast is one thing that stands out first,' Metcalf said during minicamp.
How does Aaron Rodgers' skillset fit DK Metcalf's game?
'How quickly he releases the ball and me getting off the line of scrimmage fast is one thing that stands out first.'
Expect a lot of quick slants in the Steelers' passing game this year. pic.twitter.com/1UKpyqtOXQ
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) June 11, 2025
Sure enough, slants have been a significant part of the playbook early in camp. As a big-bodied receiver, Metcalf is a load to handle off the line of scrimmage. He's often been able to gain inside position on Darius Slay, Joey Porter Jr. and others. Friday, one of Rodgers' best plays came when he found Metcalf on an intermediate slant. The receiver took off running for a big gain after the catch.
The Steelers worked on their two-minute offense for the first time in camp. With 1:39 on the clock, the first-team offense took the ball on its own 42-yard line. The drill ended with the ball still sitting in the same place.
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The offense false-started on the first play. The second play, Alex Highsmith battled down Rodgers' pass at the line of scrimmage. On second-and-long, Rodgers drew Nick Herbig offsides, possibly with his signature hard count, to get the 5 penalty yards back. On the subsequent play, Rodgers looked for Jaylen Warren in the flat. The ball was a bit behind Warren and came in hot, hitting him in the back shoulder pad.
On third down, Herbig batted another pass at the line of scrimmage. And on fourth down, Metcalf created separation, but a go-ball went through his hands. That two-minute period is a bit of a microcosm for some of the early miscues and missed connections in camp.
'I just think it's usual for this time year,' Tomlin said. 'Defenses usually develop a little faster than offenses. The get-to-know, the cohesion that's required to be good, it's just a component of it. No alarm bells there.'
The second-team offense had much more success. During the two-minute drill, Mason Rudolph worked the ball downfield, finding Roman Wilson over the middle and then connecting on a deeper pass along the sideline to Scotty Miller to move into the red zone. The backup QB threw a pass that hit receiver Lance McCutcheon in the helmet in the end zone. The next play, Rudolph went back at McCutcheon, but defensive back James Pierre came up with the interception. Pierre has his work cut out for him to make the team, but he's been making plays in camp.
Overall, Rudolph looked sharp Friday. During one team period, he connected with Washington on a shallow cross into a tight window. Later, on a deep post, Rudolph threw a perfect dime between two defensive backs to Smith. It was the best throw of the day.
The defense began its day with a 4-3 win in seven shots.
• On a play-action pass, Metcalf slipped coming out of his break, and the pass fell incomplete with Slay in coverage.
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• On an inside run, Johnson was hit in the hole by Payton Wilson, who has been having a strong camp and will need to continue to plug gaps in the run game as he looks to expand his workload on rundowns.
• Rodgers looked like he found Pat Freiermuth in the back corner of the end zone. But Slay played through the whistle, and the tight end's hands, for an outstanding pass breakup.
• Rudolph looked like he found a sliding Scotty Miller in the back of the end zone, but the pass was ruled incomplete.
• Johnson had one of his most impressive reps of camp. He stretched the play out wide toward the pylon. Using a stiff arm, he shrugged off defensive back Cory Trice for a touchdown.
• Will Howard connected with Kenneth Gainwell as he was crossing the goal line. Safety Juan Thronhill would have lit up the running back, but eased up rather than decleat a teammate. In a game, the collision might have dislodged the ball, but in this setting, it went for a score.
• Howard rolled to his right and found undrafted rookie running back Max Hurleman.
Trice suffered what Tomlin said is a 'hamstring-related' injury. Backup tackle Calvin Anderson 'slipped,' Tomlin said, and is being evaluated. That thrust Dylan Cook into a first-team role.
Joey Porter Jr. did not participate and is 'day to day.' In his absence, Jalen Ramsey worked as an outside corner with Beanie Bishop in the nickel.
On the offensive line, Broderick Jones wore only shoulder pads and a helmet, but no leg pads. He did take part in a couple of one-on-one pass protection drills. Highsmith made him look silly with a spin move.
Starting left guard Isaac Seumalo dressed in full pads but didn't work in full. He's still making progress after starting camp on the non-football injury list.
(Top photo of Aaron Rodgers: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)