LATROBE, Pa. -- When Mike Tomlin met with media for his first press conference of training camp, he said Dean Lowry, Cole Holcomb and Cordarrelle Patterson would start camp on non-practice lists.
Lowry and Holcomb were both placed on the PUP list with pre-existing injuries while Patterson was placed on the non-football injury list. Tomlin said Patterson suffered a slight hamstring injury "while training down south" and it could be characterized as day-to-day at this point.
Tomlin also discussed several other topics during his roughly 14-minute press conference to end the day:
• The longtime Steelers head coach still sees the benefits of going away for training camp. Despite being in the minority of teams across the league, he believes conducting training camp at Saint Vincent College gives his team a winning edge due to the team camaraderie that is built: "At the end of the day, our work is done but there are picnic tables, guys young teach old, guys get to know one another and each other's journey. There is individual and collective growth in those opportunities and that's why we value this awesome venue."
• The Steelers moved their practices to the morning this year and Tomlin said that decision was made to give more immediate feedback to his players. In the past, he said they were often making corrections and coaching points the following morning: "It's better for teaching and learning when you get that immediate feedback. So we just bought ourselves more time on the backside of our day so we could have more immediate feedback, teaching and learning based on the tape we put out that day."
• Tomlin also addressed the decision to host the Bills for a joint practice ahead of their Aug. 17 matchup. With the new kickoff rule, he said that he was interested in getting some work against another team. He said it could benefit the younger players and special teams.
• Russell Wilson is still the No. 1 quarterback heading into camp and Tomlin said he would manage the rep allocations between Wilson and Justin Fields, "very carefully."
• He also allowed Najee Harris' interview from earlier today to speak for itself and said he did not feel the need to add on to Harris' comments about the team being unsure of where the offense was heading: "If that's what he as told, that's what he was told.
• When it comes to rookies earning snaps this season, Tomlin said he's going to approach each rookie and their playing time on an individual basis: "It's not just a cookie-cutter approach. It's based on the maturation, maturity and readiness of the individuals. So what may have applied to last year's class may not apply to this year's."
• Tomlin is expecting "big things" from Keanu Benton. He said he can grow in all areas of his game: "He's a talented young guy with tremendous upside."
• The Steelers also signed Tyler Matakevich recently and Tomlin said players who are capable of being successful on special teams "are significant when faced with the unknown of the kickoff and regardless of position, Tyler is a known commodity in that space."
• Lastly, Tomlin is excited to see everything his team has to offer when they take the field for the first time Thursday. From the receivers matching up against the secondary to the offensive and defensive linemen squaring off: "I'm interested in all of it. I think there are questions that you can apply to every position group and I think that's why we're here. A lot of it is speculation until we roll that ball out."