LATROBE, Pa. -- Calling an audible is part of football. With a forecast of storms threatening the afternoon, that's what Mike Tomlin did in order to make sure his team could practice Tuesday at Saint Vincent College instead of moving everything over to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Instead of starting at the originally scheduled 1:55 p.m., the Steelers got in a full practice that began at 10:30 a.m.
"It is our preference to practice in the heat of the day," Tomlin said. "We believe it aids in team development, particularly from a conditioning standpoint. But we have a hardcore plan, we remain light on our feet and do what it is that we need to do in an effort to get the work done."
And it was a good call because lightning and rain shortly followed the conclusion of practice at Chuck Noll Field.
As the first preseason game inches closer on the calendar, more and more attention will be paid to the depth chart and which players are taking advantage of opportunities given, regardless of where they rank in that depth chart.
Take Jaylen Warren, for example. Our Dale Lolley reported last week that the undrafted running back out of Oklahoma State is performing well enough to be considered by some as the second-best running back in camp next to Najee Harris. Well, Harris has missed practice for a week with a foot injury, giving the rest of the running back group an opportunity to take advantage of more reps.
"One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity. We say that often and we mean it. There’s an attrition component to this process and we don’t waste time worrying about the time missed," Tomlin said. "These are awesome days and opportunities for young people."
During an 11-on-11 drill focused heavily on the run game, Warren stood out amongst his colleagues. The first-team defense did a good job of keeping Warren, Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland at bay, limiting the longest run by any of those three to three yards (Warren).
Then, in his first rep with the second team, Warren accelerated through the middle of the defense and used shiftiness to slip through tacklers and break off a run of at least 20 yards.
It's just one practice. And, not to step on Allen Iverson's toes here, but we are talking about practice. But, Warren is clearly making a push. Snell has as good of a chance as any running back to be No. 2 come Week 1 due to his experience and valuable special teams play. With how Warren has performed during two weeks of practice, he's not giving Tomlin any reason to be one of the names in the first round of roster cuts.
And, Warren has done enough to deserve a bit of extra attention when the Steelers open their preseason Saturday against the Seahawks.
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• James Pierre might not do enough in camp to catapult himself near the top of the depth chart, but he's had some shining moments thus far. Perhaps his biggest moment came Tuesday when he jumped an out route and picked off Kenny Pickett with a diving catch. It looked even better than it reads.
• Arthur Maulet had some good moments out of the nickel, including a couple of tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage. Carlins Platel also made a similar tackle out of the nickel. It was a good day for Maulet, who displayed some good technique, physicality and attitude throughout practice.
• The linebacker duo of Delontae Scott and Mark Robinson had a nice series against the run with the second-team defense. Scott made two tackles at the line of scrimmage and Robinson later stopped Master Teague III in his tracks for a loss.
• Levi Wallace practiced in pads today, and had a couple of good plays in coverage on the outside. During the second 11-on-11 series, Wallace perfectly timed a pass from Mitch Trubisky to George Pickens on the sideline, breaking up the play.
• Speaking of Pickens, it's difficult to calm down the hype of what this guy is capable of, but he is having one heck of a camp. There are some things he needs to work on -- specifically protecting the ball after catching it -- but he has certainly progressed over the course of training camp. With his height, speed, shiftiness, strong hands and body control, he has the makings of a dangerous NFL receiver.
• Montravius Adams went down with an apparent ankle injury and did not finish practice. Tomlin said he is being evaluated.
• Connor Heyward seemed to cramp up during the final drill of practice and left the field in a bit of discomfort. However, Tomlin did not mention Heyward with the injury update after practice, so it might not be anything serious.
• Zach Gentry did not practice, but was in attendance. No word on his status.
• Harris (foot), Diontae Johnson (hip), Tyson Alualu (knee) and Miles Killebrew (pectoral) all were limited participants.
• Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) was also a limited participant, but he was at least in pads and participated in seven shots before sitting out the remainder of practice.
• Marcus Allen (hamstring), Ulysees Gilbert III (ankle), Genard Avery (groin), Derek Watt (shoulder), Alex Highsmith (ribs) and Kevin Dotson (ankle) were all out Tuesday. No updates on any of them.
• Derrek Tuszka replaced Highsmith at starting right outside linebacker and Kendrick Green was the starting left guard with Dotson out.
• For much more on the quarterbacks and seven shots, read our QB tracker.
