Cameron Sutton is practicing with the Steelers even though the NFL handed down an eight-game suspension to him earlier this month under the league’s personal conduct policy. But Sutton isn’t taking a lot of reps with the starters in the early stages of training camp.
The Steelers know what he can do. He played with them for six seasons from 2017-22 as one of the secondary’s more versatile players. When his suspension is over in November, he’ll likely jump back into the rotation and become a valuable member of that unit once again.
What the Steelers have to find out now is whether anyone on the training camp roster is capable of playing in the slot until Sutton returns. And early on, the coaches are giving undrafted free agent rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. an opportunity to work with the starters.
Even Bishop, who played his final college season at West Virginia, is surprised at the number of reps he’s getting with the first-team defense.
“It’s one of those things. I feel like I had a pretty good OTAs,” said Bishop, who also played at Western Kentucky and Minnesota during his college career. “I knew I was going to get some reps. This many? I wasn’t sure about that.”
Bishop is leaning on Sutton and the other veterans this summer to show him the ropes. In a defensive backfield that’s filled with other veterans, including safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott, he’s taking advantage of their insights.
“The vets have made me comfortable so I can just go out there and play,” Bishop said. “I’m just out there playing free. Those guys are making all the calls and making me comfortable.”
The Steelers have two more acclimation practices without pads this weekend before they are in full gear for the first time Tuesday. That’s when Bishop really hopes to shine. Two of his best attributes are his run defense and tackling ability.
“I can cover and I’m also a great tackler,” he said. “Those are abilities you need to play in the slot.”
Fields off the mark
Russell Wilson did not practice for a second day in a row after injuring his calf muscle in the conditioning test on Wednesday. That gave backup Justin Fields another chance to work with the first-team offense. After a solid first day, Fields struggled a bit on Friday.
Fields was 6 for 16 in the 11-on-11 portions of practice, including a 1 for 5 showing in the “seven shots” drill to open practice against the first-team defense. He took the first four reps of the drill, with the only completion being a touchdown pass to Van Jefferson. Two of his other passes were broken up, and Pat Freiermuth dropped one at the goal line. After third-string quarterback Kyle Allen threw two touchdowns — to Roman Wilson and MyCole Pruitt — to tie the score at 3 apiece, the first-team offense took the field for the final rep.
Fields took the snap and targeted Calvin Austin III, but T.J. Watt batted the ball down at the line of scrimmage. It was the first of three passes that were batted down by defensive linemen in 11-on-11 drills. Cam Heyward later batted down a Fields pass, and rookie Logan Lee batted down a John Rhys Plumlee pass.
Allen, by contrast, had an excellent day working with the second-team offense. He was 9 for 10 in 11-on-11 periods.
“I was really excited about Kyle Allen today,” coach Mike Tomlin said after practice.
Tomlin said the third-string offense was going to take the final rep of “seven shots,” but he wanted the starters to determine the winner of the drill.
Playing it up for the fans
Plumlee, an undrafted rookie out of Central Florida, might be a fourth camp arm, but the Steelers like his athleticism and have been taking a look at him on special teams. He went back to field punts with the other returners on Friday and provided a comedic moment for the fans.
Plumlee lost a ball in the morning sun and it clanked off his helmet, bringing a chorus of laughs from the fans in attendance. On his next opportunity, Plumlee caught the ball clean. The fans cheered, and Plumlee playfully took it in stride.
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: July 26, 2024, 6:58 p.m.
Updated: July 27, 2024, 1:42 a.m.