Enough of the voluntary workouts. From here on out, everything is mandatory.
The Steelers have wrapped up their OTA sessions and will hold their final "offseason" workouts starting Tuesday when minicamp kicks off.
It used to be a big deal. In the pre-OTA days 20 years ago, coaches would say goodbye to their players at the end of the season and not see them again until minicamp began. But with the advent of OTAs in the early 2000s, minicamp became more of an extension of the offseason workouts.
It's still "football in shorts" as Mike Tomlin likes to classify it, with limits on contact and the amount of practice time.
But minicamp still holds some special meaning. It's the culmination of the offseason program. And it's the last opportunity for teams to see what their roster might look like before it begins training camp at the end of July. Think of it as the mid-semester exam for NFL players before they take the final in training camp.
That said, here are five things to keep an eye on at the Steelers' minicamp, which runs Tuesday through Thursday:
WHITHER DEVIN BUSH?
In 2014, Ryan Shazier opened minicamp with Lawrence Timmons at inside linebacker. It was noteworthy because Shazier had been the team's top draft pick earlier that year.
The Steelers have typically at least paid some kind of respect to a returning veteran at a position by giving him the nod over a rookie at the start of this process. That season, however, the returning starter was second-year player Vince Williams, who had started 11 games as a rookie because of an injury to Larry Foote.
This year, there is no returning starter. Veteran Mark Barron was signed in free agency to help replace Jon Bostic, who started next to Williams in 2018. But then the Steelers traded up to acquire Devin Bush with the 10th pick in the draft and Bostic was released.
Will it be Barron or Bush who opens minicamp as the starter?
The guess here is it will be Barron. But it wouldn't be surprising if it's Bush, and it won't be long before he's in the starting lineup.
SAFETY MEASURES
This isn't as much about what happens during minicamp, but after. The Steelers' starting safeties are Sean Davis and Terrell Edmunds. This much we know.
But who's No. 3? Currently, that spot is being manned by Jordan Dangerfield, a player who has appeared in 30 career games with three starts. The rest of the safety group consists of Marcus Allen, a second-year player who was largely inactive as a rookie, AAF refugee Kameron Kelly and undrafted rookies P.J. Locke and Dravon Askew-Henry.
Will the Steelers come out of this week convinced that's enough depth at the position? If not, it wouldn't be surprising if they made a move to sign a veteran safety soon after minicamp ends.
Corners Mike Hilton and Cameron Sutton can also play safety, but there are still more experienced safeties available as free agents.
Tre Boston is the best, but he will probably be looking for a starting spot somewhere. Players such as Da'Norris Searcy or Kurt Coleman might make some sense as a veteran backup, if the price is right.
CHECK THE DRAMA
As in at the door. The Steelers have been all about putting the drama-filled events surrounding Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown in the past.
And so far, so good. The Steelers have moved on from their former stars and things have been nice and quiet at the Rooney Complex.
But now that things are mandatory, does everyone show up? There hasn't been much in the way of unhappiness over contract situations, even though there are some things that remain unresolved, such as Hilton's refusal to sign his Exclusive Rights Free Agent deal.
As an ERFA, Hilton can't sign anywhere else. The Steelers hold all the cards. But Hilton, who was at every OTA session, could choose to send a message to the team by skipping minicamp. It's unlikely, but it could happen.
Hilton is currently set to make $645,000 in 2019 under his ERFA contract. He made $465,000 in 2017 and $555,000 in 2018 with no signing bonus involved in either year.
That's certainly a nice amount of money, but considering the number of defensive snaps he's played -- 59 percent in 2017, 57 percent in 2018 -- Hilton has been a pretty good bargain for the Steelers.
HEALTH MATTERS
Many are minor, but every once in a while, a player will suffer what turns out to be a major injury during the football-in-shorts period of the year. Even last year, the Steelers saw offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins and tight end Jake McGee suffer season-ending injuries during OTA sessions.
Spring is when every NFL team is feeling the best about its chances to compete. After all, this is about as healthy as teams will be. Once training camp starts, injuries start to become pretty regular events.
Avoiding a devastating injury to a front-line player in the offseason program is critical.
INTEGRATION SURPRISES
Throughout the OTA sessions, we've seen young players getting integrated into the rotation at a number of positions. But there are always some surprises that are based on how well things are going in the classroom.
Bush has done work with the No. 1 defense and has been making play calls. Third-round receiver Diontae Johnson, the team's second draft pick, is looking more and more comfortable on a daily basis. Linebacker Sutton Smith has not only seen time at that position, but has done work at fullback, as well. Kelly has gotten some time with the first-team defense when Davis was out for the first two weeks of OTAs.
Reporters get to watch the on-field action, but we don't get to see who is doing well in the classroom. That becomes more evident as things progress. Players who pick things up quickly see more practice time. They have more things put on their plate.
Will there be any more young players finding their way into increased roles? This week is their final chance to make an impression on the depth chart before training camp opens.
