Imagine thinking one could hide the largest human in the history of civilization.

Well, for all else that unfolded on a fun and eventful opening practice of the Steelers' training camp Thursday here at Saint Vincent College, not least of which was Aaron Rodgers' first real headline among us by having his first pass picked off, nothing stood out quite like Darnell Washington continuing to line up in conspicuous places, as he'd been doing throughout OTAs and minicamp. Once, he was wide right, for crying out loud.

And, as if to show that wasn't an accident -- it isn't, actually, as it's been penned into the Arthur Smith playbook for months, I'm told -- the big man broke left off a standard alignment and was found 38 yards away by a soft, smooth arc from Mason Rudolph, to the audible delight of the couple thousand fans on hand.

(No video available of that, sorry.)

I asked Washington about that sequence and a good bit more in a quality couple of minutes he and I had after the session:

"It means a lot," he'd tell me. "Just getting with Coach Art, building that trust, keep doing what I'm supposed to do to the best of my ability ... "

That's blocking, of course.

" ... and keep trying to make plays so they keep calling those plays."

That's catching the ball, of course.

It's been striking to me how, even in adding Jonnu Smith to a tight end room that already featured Pat Freiermuth, this trajectory's never changed. Washington's been moved about the line, sent into unprecedented routes, built into the goal-line offense as a receiver, and all of that with no end in sight.

Good for him. Possibly better for all of them.

I then asked Rudolph about that pass play, and he raised the excellent point that, when throwing to Washington, one might as well add a double-digit figure to whatever yardage the catch covers:

"It was a look. It was a signaled route, so an alteration from the initial concept, but he made a great play," Rudolph told me. "And anytime I can get him the ball down the field, you just know he's going to get another 10 yards before anybody can bring him down."

Yeah, who'd want to tackle that?

"Nobody. Nobody wants to do that."

Might be part of the motivation.

• I spoke with Freiermuth, first time he's piped up since the Jonnu Smith addition, and he sounds like he's handling it well, considering what it could mean for his targets.

I asked, plain and simple, if there'll be enough for Rodgers to spread around, not just to the tight ends but also to DK Metcalf and the rest of the receivers and running backs:

"That's the goal of our offense, to spread it around and not be predictable," he'd reply. "We have the right quarterback to do that. We have the offensive line to protect him. And we have a lot of skilled players on the outside to make plays. So, that's why we're here in camp, to figure out who can do what."

Freiermuth, by the way, was among the first to welcome Smith to the fold, reaching out soon after the trade.

"I feel like, as a team leader, that's what I should do."

For more on this subject, Chris Halicke spoke with Smith here earlier in the day.

• I've been buying what Kaleb Johnson's selling from the moment I saw how exasperated Arthur Smith was on the night the Steelers had to wait and wait and wait for him to fall to them in the third round. But the more I see ... my goodness. The kid doesn't hit holes. He's actually in the hole while you think you're waiting for him to hit.

• Keeping this real: Patrick Queen had ample opportunity to crow about intercepting Rodgers, given that it'll reverberate throughout the NFL in the third week of July. But when I stopped him at the sideline to ask it, all he'd acknowledge was -- again -- that he's expecting more splash from himself than in 2024: "That's the whole thing I practiced this whole offseason, getting my hands on the ball and keeping it this time, not dropping them. It's a good way to start, but it doesn't mean anything if I don't keep doing it. Every single day, just come out here and stack them." 

He counted six dropped picks last season, by the way. I don't remember that many, but I'll take the man's word.

• This secondary that'll be founded on three "coverage people," as Mike Tomlin's taken to calling Jaylen Ramsey, Darius Slay and Joey Porter, will be a blast to watch if it plays out. It's so man-on-man, so raw that it'll make film study electric. But I'll say this, too: It'll also assure that opponents go that much harder at Porter and hope to draw flags. And as such, he might need to elevate his game almost to the degree Broderick Jones has to. Any weak link blows this scheme sky high.

• Tremendous to have football back. Imagine if it's contending football.

• Oh, and go check all the pics I snapped of the scenes here today!