2026 Pittsburgh Steelers training camp: Latest intel, updates

          play
          How good will the Steelers be in Aaron Rodgers' last season? (1:55)

          • Brooke PryorAug 1, 2026, 05:10 PM ET
            Close
              Brooke Pryor is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. She previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and the University of Oklahoma for The Oklahoman.
            Follow on X

          The 2026 NFL training camps have kicked off around the league, and our team reporters are on the ground each day following all the action. The Pittsburgh Steelers' camp is taking place in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor has the latest intel on standouts, highlights, position battles, depth chart movement, cut decisions and of course, the quarterbacks room.

          What follows is everything we are seeing and hearing at Steelers camp. We will update this file often. How will coach Mike McCarthy shape this roster and the offense in his first year in Pittsburgh? Who are the breakout players to watch, especially for fantasy football? And which players on the roster bubble could make the final 53?

          Dive in to all the updates and be sure to check back for more information until the first full week of the preseason begins Aug. 13.

          Camp updates for all 32 NFL teams

          Latest news from Steelers camp

          Saturday, Aug. 1

          Nobody had a louder cheering section than safety Jaquan Brisker at Saturday's practice.

          The Pittsburgh native and former Penn State star had more than 100 family members, all wearing gold shirts customized with his name and No. 3, and numerous coaches from his prep football days sitting in the stands at St. Vincent College for a football practice-turned-family reunion organized by one of his uncles.

          "... My dad texted me and was like, 'Yeah, [the family] is going to come up here,'" Brisker, a 2022 second-round pick, said. "I texted some of the Steelers, and they got them a section. ... Just a lot of love and support, and I really appreciate it."

          "[My teammates] were like, 'Look at the Brisker section,' making jokes and things like that."

          Though Brisker, who spent four years with the Chicago Bears before signing with the Steelers in free agency earlier this year, didn't get a chance to pick off a pass in front of his extended family, he celebrated wildly in their direction after cornerback Brandin Echols broke up a pass from Aaron Rodgers during the final team period.

          "Got to bring the energy," Brisker said. "I'm blessed to step on the field every single day and walk off every single day. I'm blessed to walk off today. And I've been loving it since I was 4. And being a Pittsburgh guy, this is all I breathe was football."

          Afterward, Brisker's family came down to see him on the field and got him to sign each of their shirts. From there, the group was headed to eat a big meal together. Brisker, though, had team meetings.

          "I'm going to miss out the cookout, but it's OK," he said. "Hopefully, they save me a plate."

          Friday, July 31

          To cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., every year is a "prove-it" year. And through three days of Steelers camp, he has more than done that with several head-turning plays in team periods.

          "You got to prove yourself each and every year," the 2021 Los Angeles Chargers second-round pick said. "And just coming back from my injuries from last year, played a couple games last year, so trying to build off that and just show them how I was before I got injured."

          Samuel, who joined the Steelers as a free agent last year after a lengthy recovery from a spinal fusion surgery to correct a chronic issue, has benefited from the absence of Joey Porter Jr. (physically unable to perform list with his back) and made the most of his time Friday with a number of pass breakups and near interceptions.

          "He's frankly been one of my favorite players since I arrived here," Steelers coach Mike McCarthy said of Samuel, who made three starts last season and grabbed an interception. "I just love the way he works. He's extremely physical. His ball skills are off the charts. That's a big thing. That's something I really look for in defensive backs. We want to take the ball away, catch the flash of the ball. And he has all that.

          "He's been here every single day, offseason program. He's had two really good practices so far. His first day, he did a really nice job. So I think the young man's a hell of a football player."

          Not only does McCarthy consider him "a hell of a football player" -- Samuel also came up as a prospective U.S. Olympic flag football team member. "I was talking to Art [Rooney II] about the flag football candidates, and I think his name was one of the names come up," McCarthy said. "I mean, he'd be on my flag football team, too. Hell, I'd play him on offense just because of his skill set."

          Samuel, though, isn't thinking about branching out to flag football just yet.

          "I mean, I guess," he said with a shrug. "But I'm just trying to focus on right now and this season and trying to win the Super Bowl."

          More observations from the day:

          • Friday's practice was a lighter day, with the Steelers in shorts and hats for what McCarthy characterized as a "mock game." That doesn't mean the team went all-out in a scrimmage for the allotted practice time. Instead, it was essentially an extended walk-through to go over the installs -- many of them for two-minute and situational moments -- learned in the first two days. "I've always tried to kind of go one or two, do two installs, review, two installs, review," McCarthy said. "So it kind of matches the workload capacity of what you're looking for. Next week we'll have two padded practices, review, then we'll have three padded practices. ... It's a flow that really works physically, mentally, and it really gives you a chance to hit all the situations."

          • Roman Wilson continued to be highlighted in the offense, specifically moving around the inside receiving positions, but McCarthy said he's also planning to use the third-year wide receiver on the outside. "I haven't even talked to him yet about this, but I think we can start working a little bit more outside, too," McCarthy said. "Because his vertical speed and his ability to -- we call it the Autobahn out there on the numbers -- he has an excellent skill set for that."

          • As a Pittsburgh native, rookie Eli Heidenreich has been embraced by Steelers fans at his first camp. Some of them even went way back in the archives to present him with a unique artifact to be autographed. "Someone from Mount Lebanon had a printed-out picture of me in, like, sixth grade," he said. "... I think they went to the same middle school or go to the same middle school that I attended. I absolutely went over there and signed up for them."

          Thursday, July 30

          Through two practices, the Steelers have had four 11-on-11 team periods: two two-minute periods and two after an early-practice play install period.

          By comparison, one Mike Tomlin training camp practice might have had at least four team periods.

          Coach Mike McCarthy, however, is emphasizing the fundamentals over teamwork in his early camp practices, drilling down on the "Steelers Six." McCarthy coaches those "primary" fundamentals -- ball security, blocking, tackling, big plays, pursuit and finish and mannerisms and disguises -- through individual periods tailored to strengthen those fundamentals, extensive post-practice film study and pre-practice "talk-throughs."

          "Ball security is No. 1," McCarthy said. "Blocking, obviously sustain it, and obviously getting off blocks. Tackling, big plays are fundamentals. You can't win in the National Football League without big plays. Each game, if you look at the league average, it averages about three to six a game. So you got to emphasize it. The finish -- the pursuit and finish -- is clearly a big part of that too.

          "And one that we spend a lot of time in particularly because the way we have to train more than ever in the offseason is the mannerisms. Mannerisms in disguise is a big part of pro football. I think it's particularly coming from the quarterback position. My history, you spend time there, but the games evolve that way where both sides of the ball are doing it a lot more here, even seeing it more in special teams."

          More observations:

          • QB Aaron Rodgers capped off an 11-on-11 two-minute drill with a touchdown throw to DK Metcalf in the back of the end zone over rookie Daylen Everette. Rodgers, who failed to score in Wednesday's two-minute period, marched his group from the 35 with 1:39 to go and two timeouts thanks in large part to two big completions to Metcalf over the middle.

          • Will Howard's practice-ending two-minute drill was less successful as he floated a pass over Max Hurleman in the middle of the field and safety Sebastian Castro picked it off.

          • The Steelers continued to mix things up on the offensive line as Broderick Jones took snaps at left and right tackle.

          • CB Asante Samuel Jr. had another strong day, this time turning heads with a well-timed pass breakup of a deep ball from Mason Rudolph intended for Pat Freiermuth. Samuel jumped the sideline route to knock the ball away and celebrated with his teammates in the secondary after the splash play.

          Wednesday, July 29

          McCarthy's first training camp practice as Steelers coach concluded with chaos. Controlled, planned, purposeful chaos. After a team meeting in which McCarthy emphasized the importance of two-minute football and told his players that more than half of their games would come down to those crucial situations, McCarthy wrapped up the hour-and-15-minute practice with two 7-on-7 two-minute drills and a similarly situational 11-on-11 period.

          "There's so many games that come down to that last drive," wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. "Just the fact that we're practicing it every single day, I think we'll be the most conditioned team by the end of camp."

          In the first 7-on-7 period, the coaches told the offense they had 1:14 to go in the first half with two timeouts, and they started from the 35-yard line. In the second period, the offense had 45 seconds and started from the 41. And finally in 11-on-11, McCarthy put four seconds on the clock, and the Steelers ran through six game-ending plays at various downs and distances.

          Before each play, a coach shouted the down-and-distance and starting yard line into a megaphone as the offense rushed to line up, adding to the urgency of the period.

          "It's just situations at the end of the game we're trying to rep, because they don't always come up in preseason games, and they don't always come up in practice when you're just doing a period of 12 plays with pass under pressure," quarterback Mason Rudolph said. "So getting those reps and knowing, OK, if we get to this area of the field, this is the play it's going to be called. I think just building that confidence in the concepts is important."

          Only one quarterback threw a touchdown in any of those three situational periods: rookie Drew Allar, connecting with tight end Robert Tonyan in the end zone on the final play of the day.

          "It felt good," Allar said. "I feel like it's just getting more reps under my belt."

          Other observations from the day:

          • Practice started promptly at 11:30 Wednesday morning, and the final touchdown pass was caught at 12:47, just seconds after the scheduled ending of 12:46. The earlier practice time is a departure from the 2 p.m. starts of former coach Mike Tomlin's era. "I like the morning practice a little bit better," Rudolph said. "We had great practices here in the last few years at 2 o'clock, but sometimes you feel like you're waiting around for it all day. So it's nice to get out there and get it done, watch the film in the afternoon."

          • With Joey Porter Jr. on the physically unable to perform list, Asante Samuel Jr. got a bump in his volume of reps and responded with two crucial PBUs during the 7-on-7 two-minute drill, including one on a deep pass attempt from Aaron Rodgers to DK Metcalf down the sideline to bring up fourth down.

          • Asked about the injury that landed Porter Jr. on the PUP list Tuesday, McCarthy said Porter had something that "flared up" during their mobility workout. A source told ESPN on Tuesday that Porter aggravated his back. McCarthy didn't give a timeline for Porter's return, but the cornerback, who is awaiting a contract extension, was on the sideline to watch practice Wednesday.

          • Under-the-radar free agent signing Brandon Smith caught back-to-back passes from Rodgers during the first team period, kicking off a strong start to camp from the former New York Jets wide receiver. The Iowa product made three appearances in two seasons for the Jets, including playing one snap in 2024 when Rodgers was on the field.

          • Broderick Jones, returning to practice for the first time since his late November season-ending neck injury, took reps at second-team left tackle.

          • First-round pick Max Iheanachor primarily took snaps with the second team at right tackle, but he took at least one first-team rep.

          • During the first punt return period, rookie Kaden Wetjen led off the rotation of returners followed by WR Roman Wilson and WR Cole Burgess.

          Tuesday, July 28

          Perhaps no Steelers pass catcher is getting more love than third-year wide receiver Roman Wilson. During their report-day news conferences, QB Aaron Rodgers and WR DK Metcalf praised the young player, who was a healthy scratch down the stretch last season.

          "I think the guy out of anybody that's really shown this new staff -- because it is a new staff -- a lot of great tape is Roman Wilson," Rodgers said. "Roman had a really nice spring. Got to know him on a deeper level during that trip, which was fun."

          Wilson was one of several players, including Metcalf, who went to a ranch with Rodgers for a four-day outing during the offseason.

          "It was good bonding around the campfire," Rodgers said. "Good activities out where we were at and got out on the river and fished and did some things and rode some horses and we had a good time."

          Other observations from the day:

          • McCarthy's training camp won't feature live tackling in team drills. "You have to assess stress in everything you do," McCarthy said. "I look at it as one of the primary responsibilities of being a head coach and one of the primary focal points of being in charge of the training regimen for your football team. Tackling is a good way to go. I've done it, but I feel like we'll be able to get it done in other ways of training, particularly in our tackling drills, in the team drills."

          • Though he has never kept more than three quarterbacks on his opening week roster, McCarthy didn't rule out the possibility of keeping all four this time around. "Don't know why it wouldn't be," he said of it being an option. "I'm not philosophically opposed of keeping the best players. ... I think all four of those guys, if you're picking a team today, will be definitely part of that 53 conversation."

          • Metcalf said he really liked the immersive nature of the Steelers' training camp in Latrobe. "I went to Walmart, got to see people I don't normally see, some Latrobians, if you will, or Steelers fans from around the state," Metcalf said. "And I think it's just a great aspect just to see other people that you normally don't get to see. Plus people that don't really get to see us during the season, we come an hour away to St. Vincent and just immerse ourselves in this community."