LATROBE, Pa. -- The Steelers eased defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi into things in their first two weeks of training camp.
Monday, in Ogunjobi's first practice in pads since joining the Steelers, they took the kid gloves off.
And Ogunjobi? He held up just fine.
After having their Friday Night Lights practice canceled because of thunderstorms and then having to move Saturday's practice back to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, the Steelers were back on Monday after a scheduled day off. And as a nod to fans, the team moved things to Latrobe Memorial Stadium as opposed to Saint Vincent College.
Fans there were treated to perhaps the most physical practice of training camp 2022. And Ogunjobi was a big part of it, as was safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who also was returning to practice.
In the team's run drills, Ogunjobi fired into the backfield and tackled Anthony McFarland for a loss. He also shot into the backfield on another play, forcing Jaylen Warren to stop his feet, allowing nose tackle Montravius Adams to clean up and hold the rookie to no gain.
"It didn’t take long for his presence to be felt," Mike Tomlin said. "He’s a big man, he comes off blocks, I’m glad to have him out there and we look forward to him just getting better and better."
It might not have taken Ogunjobi long to make his presence felt in his first practice, but it did take a while for that first practice to happen.
Signed to a one-year, $8-million free agent deal in mid-June after the retirement of Stephon Tuitt, Ogunjobi had been held out of the first two weeks of training camp practices as the Steelers were cautious in adding him to the mix, following his surgery to repair a foot injury that ended his season in January while with the Bengals.
"It was good, really good," Ogunjobi told me. "It was way too long.
"I was ready to get out there. I hadn't hit anyone since January 16 or 17th. I missed it a lot. I was ready to get back out there and hit somebody."
The Steelers let him get right to that. Tomlin runs one of the more physical training camps around the NFL and Monday's practice was the most physical practice of this training camp.
"We don't want you toe-testing this," Ogunjobi told me. "We jumped right into the water."
The Steelers have been waiting for this moment. And not only was Ogunjobi active on Monday, nose tackle Tyson Alualu was activated off the PUP list, as well, though he didn't take part in the team portion of Monday's practice.
"That dude (Ogunjobi) is the man," defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. "I’m excited about Larry and getting him out on the field and getting him acclimated to the things we do. I’m really glad he’s on our side."
• Fitzpatrick also made his presence felt in his return after sitting out the first two weeks on the Non-Football Injury List following a mishap on vacation that caused him to sit out with a wrist issue.
Fitzpatrick, who was activated Friday, combined with a massive hit at the goal line to keep Benny Snell out of the end zone in the goal-line drill that ended practice.
"He was in until he wasn't," conditioning coordinator Garrett Giemont, who was the side judge on the play, told the offense.
Asked about the hit after practice, Tomlin was somewhat understated.
"We know Mink," he said.
• Those physical plays certainly favored the defense. But the offense won its share of short-yardage situations.
Snell had about a 15-yard run on a third-and-1 play, running through a hole created by center Mason Cole and left guard Kendrick Green. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky ran down and helped him up and gave him a head slap after that one.
Snell also scored from the two in the goal-line drill, going over the top of the line.
Apparently, Snell also has been hearing that rookie sensation Warren is nipping at his heels.
• That the offense is starting to hold its own in these situations is a good thing. This defense is starting to get healthy and it does look pretty good.
In fact, Cam Heyward said Monday the goal for the defense this season is a simple one.
"Dominating," he stated.
Why would Heyward feel that way about a unit that finished 24th in total yardage and 20th in scoring defense a year ago?
"Because we can be," he said.
Perhaps. But it will take a better run defense -- the Steelers were 32nd there last season. And the defense has been doing a good job of getting multiple players to the ball in this training camp.
• Kevin Dotson suffered a sprained ankle in this practice, though it didn't look like anything too serious. But before that, Green was running exclusively with the first-team offense, while Dotson was working with the second unit at left guard.
Green has had some hellacious battles with Heyward in one-on-ones the past couple of practices. While Heyward, a first-team All-Pro, has certainly gotten the better of them, Green has held his own against one of the best pure-power defensive tackles in the NFL.
• Nobody is going to be ready for training camp to end quite as much as right tackle Chuks Okorafor.
Okorafor went up against reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt four times in one-on-ones Monday. He won one rep with Watt -- or at least held his own -- but was beaten with an outside spin move, an okey-doke inside move on which Watt looked like Jackie Chan with his hands knocking down Okorafor's, and then beating him with a bull rush on the final rep.
After the bull rush, Okorafor shook his head and looked back at his fellow offensive linemen shaking his head while shrugging his shoulders.
There's a reason nobody tries to block Watt with just an offensive tackle, chipping him with tight ends and running backs, as well.
If Okorafor can survive this daily onslaught, game days will be easy for him.
• Anthony Miller and James Pierre took the first snaps as gunners in punt coverage reps Monday. Justin Layne and Miles Boykin took the second-team snaps.
It sure looks like Miller is making this team. He's a tough guy.
In fact, he got kudos from the coaches for his block on Cam Sutton -- who is back at practice -- on an outside run.
I don't know what happened with Miller in Chicago and Houston -- he won't talk about it, I asked -- but he sure looks like someone who will help this team.
In fact, he could be the new version of Darrius Heyward-Bey. Heyward-Bey was a former Raiders first-round pick who remade himself into a special teams ace with the Steelers. And the coaching staff loved to point at him when it came to young players and special teams. If a former first-round pick could do it, so could they.
Miller is a former second-round pick. And he might offer more as a receiver than Heyward-Bey.
• Tomlin made this such a physical practice because he'll start scaling things back this week. There's a good chance Tuesday's practice will be the final one with live tackling for a while -- if not the rest of the season.
But the players appreciate the opportunity to go live.
"I think there are benefits on both sides," cornerback Levi Wallace told me. "The best way to get better at football is to be out on that field. And you only get better at tackling by tackling, so Coach T does a great job of emphasizing that."
Wallace, who returned to full practice Monday after sitting out last week with an illness, said the Steelers practices are much more physical than the ones he went through with his first employer, the Bills.
The Bills have some live tackling. But not as much as the Steelers.
"Not even close, honestly," he told me.
• It didn't take long for Chris Boswell to no longer be the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. Boswell signed his deal last Monday that matched Justin Tucker at $5 million per season.
Monday, Tucker signed a new deal that pays him $6 million per season. Inflation is real in the NFL.
• Mason Rudolph hasn't thrown an interception in this training camp, while Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, the only other two quarterbacks in the "competition" the Steelers are holding right now, have.
In fact, Trubisky and Pickett have both thrown multiple interceptions, though there was only one Monday and that came when Miller slipped coming out of a break and was picked off by Layne in a one-on-one drill.
Rudolph said that's been a point of emphasis for him.
"You want to eliminate turnovers, and coach says if we take care of the ball, it’s a good day," he said. "Everyone’s going to throw interceptions. They’re going to happen. Hopefully, they only happen on deflections."
He's avoided those in this camp, though all of the quarterbacks have had issues with the defense batting balls at the line of scrimmage.
That hasn't happened as often as it had been earlier in camp. The offense is making some strides.
But the real test will come Saturday when the Steelers host the Seahawks.
