The Pittsburgh Steelers took to the practice field again at St. Vincent College for training camp on Friday. Following practice, head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media about their second day on the field. Since he was asked about a number of players, I am excited to continue the players mentioned article at Steel Curtain Network for the 2024 season! Remember these are players where a specific question was asked during the Q&A period.

Russell Wilson

Before getting to the question, it is important to get some context. For this reason, here is the quote Coach Tomlin said about Russell Wilson in his opening statement.

“We held [Russell Wilson] out again today, but there’s no new news to add in terms of his health. It can still be characterized as day-to-day.”

Coach Tomlin was asked if Wilson experienced any setbacks.

“No setbacks. He’s got a minor thing that I don’t want to become a major thing, and so I’d rather deal with short-term misery.”

Kyle Allen

Much like with Russell Wilson, there is some context that is needed for the question on Kyle Allen. Here is what Coach Tomlin said about Allen in his opening statement.

“I was really excited about Kyle Allen today, getting elevated work as a consequence of Russ’ injury. And, so a really nice opportunity for him today. I thought he did some nice things, for example, in that regard.”

Coach Tomlin was asked if he’s starting to see progress out of Kyle Allen.

“It’s so early. It really is. I’d be reaching there to talk about progress over the course of two days.”

Justin Fields

Coach Tomlin was asked the benefits of Justin Fields working with the first team.

“It is so obvious. It’s a great opportunity for him.”

Beanie Bishop, Calvin Austin, Pat Freiermuth, DeShon Elliott, Zach Frazier, & Keeanu Benton

Coach Tomlin was asked about the competition between cornerback Beanie Bishop and wide receiver Calvin Austin. In his response, Coach Tomlin also brought up other specific matchups such as Pat Freiermuth and DeShon Elliott as well as Zach Frazier and Keeanu Benton.

“It’s just the nature of the matchup. Both guys are guys that play in the slot in situational ball. Just like you’ll see a lot of [DeShon] Elliott versus [Pat] Freiermuth. I think that’s what’s interesting about this environment. You work ones on ones, twos on twos and you see consistency in terms of matchups. And so guys are going to be challenged to win their matchup. If they win their matchup enough, they get elevated into the next group and get a new challenge. That’s what training camp is about, certainly. And, so you’re going to identify matchups like Calvin [Austin III] and Beanie [Bishop], or ‘Muth’ [Pat Freiermuth] and ‘D. Elliott’ [DeShon Elliott], or whoever. That’s just a component of this thing. Zach Frazier and [Keeanu] Benton. It’s a lot of that going on, and it’s good. That’s how we all get better.”

In a follow-up question, Coach Tomlin was asked about Beanie Bishop playing a lot of snaps in the slot.

“I wouldn’t over analyze that, guys. Be careful there.”

Mike Tomlin’s complete interview can be seen here:

Coach Tomlin spoke to the media following Friday's #SteelersCamp practice: pic.twitter.com/pGUWH6BOC2

— Steelers Live (@SteelersLive) July 26, 2024