The Pittsburgh Steelers begin OTAs with their first session taking place Monday. A little over a week after rookie minicamp concluded, the rookies and the veterans will get on the field together and start getting ready for the season. There’s no shortage of storylines and things to watch with the Steelers at this point in the year, and we’ll take a look at three of the biggest.
WHO’S PLAYING WHERE ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE
We know Max Iheanachor played right tackle and Gennings Dunker left guard during rookie minicamp. Broderick Jones likely won’t be healthy enough to participate much in OTAs. That poses the question of whether Troy Fautanu is going to kick over and practice on the left side. And if he does, does Dylan Cook or Iheanachor see more time at right tackle? The only spots settled on Pittsburgh’s offensive line right now are center (Zach Frazier) and right guard (Mason McCormick).
Seeing how everything else plays out should be interesting and give us an idea for what the Steelers could be planning for next season, though the bulk of those decisions will be made during training camp.
QUARTERBACK REP DISTRIBUTION
The Steelers have two young quarterbacks they’re looking to develop in Will Howard and Drew Allar. Allar, the third-round pick this year, is a lock to make the roster while Howard may have to show something to ensure he sticks on the 53. Does that mean Allar, Mike McCarthy’s draft pick, will get extra work despite presumably being behind Howard on the depth chart? How much does Aaron Rodgers participate?
Rodgers is 42 and has played under McCarthy before. But he needs reps and to get familiar with some of his new receivers, like Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard. The Steelers need to balance getting Rodgers ready and comfortable with the new guys with attempts to develop Allar and Howard. We’ll see how it all plays out.
COACHING STAFF CHANGES
What changes will there be with a new coaching staff on board? Mike Tomlin has run the ship for the last 19 years. Now, it’s Mike McCarthy with an almost entirely new staff. Will the structure and format change? We know McCarthy’s been more stingy with letting the media in than Tomlin has been. In general, things are bound to change at least a little bit, and it’ll be fun to see how everything runs under McCarthy and company this year.
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