Players bulk up. Players lose weight. It's the game they play at this time of year, seeing if they can get stronger or faster.
Mike Hilton is up seven or so pounds to 187, because he wanted to be more durable.
Hilton, the Steelers' slot corner, suffered an elbow injury early last season that bothered him pretty much the rest of the season. As he told me, he didn't feel 100 percent or anywhere close to it until around the time the Steelers played in New Orleans.
By then, the season was just about over.
Hilton never wants to come off the field, but the Steelers did rotate he and Cam Sutton late in the season.
"I'll see if I can keep my speed and carry the weight," Hilton told me. "But I feel good."
Hilton has yet to sign his exclusive rights tender offer with the Steelers, hoping to get a long-term contract. But as of now, there's been no movement there. The Steelers just don't have the cap space available to make him a long-term offer.
BANNER DAY
When the Browns released former fourth-round draft pick Zach Banner last year, the Steelers quickly scooped the massive offensive tackle -- all 6-foot-8, 360 pounds of him -- up.
And he spent the 2018 season on the active roster, showing the Steelers felt if they tried to slide him onto the practice squad he might not make it there.
After all, Banner's monster size is tough to miss. Or at least it was.
Banner is down 40 pounds this season. And though he might have been heavier at times than the 360 pounds at which he is listed, he looks much more nimble.
In fact, toward the end of practice Wednesday, Banner was on the receiving end of a pass that was tipped in the air. He pulled it in and rumbled about 50 yards for a touchdown, much to the delight of his teammates.
"You saw that, huh?" Banner said when I asked him about it.
Who could have missed that?
JUJU'S DAY
JuJu Smith-Schuster has been leading the Steelers receivers through their position drills, as one would expect for a No. 1 receiver.
The crazy thing? He's still the youngest receiver on the team's roster. Think about that.
As such, Smith-Schuster still has some things to learn. He's been very cognizant of his public persona early in his career, which is smart.
But he hasn't carried that over to dealing with the media. I get it. The questions can get old. That doesn't mean, however, you need to be surly about it.
He says he's turning over a new leaf. Let's hope so.
Again, I'm not asking for him to suddenly become Cam Heyward when it comes to dealing with the media. But sometimes we have questions about what defenses are trying to do or what the offense is attempting to accomplish. And now that Darius Heyward-Bey is gone, the go-to guy to ask those questions is as well.
POUNCEY BIGGER, TOO
Maurkice Pouncey is listed at 304 pounds, but often has issues holding that weight. In fact, he can get down to lower than 290.
But he looks every bit of that 304 pounds this year. Pouncey looks thicker and is up in weight according to a source.
His game has always been predicated on his ability to move in space and think on his feet. Could his added bulk be a sign the Steelers are gearing up for more of a power running game?
Perhaps.