On the most recent episode of The Scho Bro Show podcast, myself and Big Bro Scho (Rich) each came up with a list of five potential camp darlings for the 2024 season. Remember, this list was made on Tuesday before the Steelers had reported to camp and taken the field for practice. As our lists rolled on, we had repeat players to bring the grand total to eight potential darlings.

To clarify what we mean by “camp darling,” it really comes down to players who are getting more discussion by Steelers’ fans than anything else. These players are not the superstar players, or even the starters. A player can become a darling simply by elevating their expected status for the 2024 season. Whether it be someone who was thought to be among those cut and end up making the practice squad, someone who wasn’t expected to make the 53 and appears to be able to squeeze onto the roster, or someone thought to be a role player that may end up with significant playing time, exceeding expectations is the key. Additionally, we eliminated players who were previous starters for the Steelers or another NFL franchise, or were drafted on Day 1 & 2 of the NFL draft.

So without further ado, here are the eight players selected to possibly be the biggest camp darling of 2023 followed by a brief explanation of the choice. The choices only picked by one of us will be listed first along with what place we selected them followed by the players we both had.

Rich:

Logan Lee (5th)
Rich picked the only player taken in this year‘s draft by the Steelers who appeared on either list. With some questions about players the Steelers have had for several years in the defensive line room, Logan Lee could be a player to make a couple plays and really splash among the group.

David Perales (4th)
The edge rusher out of Fresno State is an interesting prospect who spent the 2023 season on the Steelers practice squad. Obviously the Steelers think enough of him to have him around for a second season, and there will be an opportunity for another outside linebacker in the second group along with Nick Herbig.

Joey Fisher (3rd)
Many Steelers fans might not know much of the other guard who is on the roster at this time. Fisher is out of a Division II school in West Virginia and put up 40 reps in the bench press ahead of the 2022 draft. After spending last preseason with the 49ers, Fisher spent about half the season last year on the Steelers practice squad. The Steelers thought enough of Fisher to give him another shot with him getting to attend training camp this time.

Dave:

Jack Colletto (5th)
For me, this is very much about the position. A lot of old-school Steelers fans would love to see the use of a fullback, and Jack Colletto fits the mold more than someone like Connor Heyward. Whether or not the Steelers will use the position this year is a big question, but if they start lining up with a fullback where Coletto gets some reps, the discussion could get fired up.

Darius Rush (4th)
The Steelers picked up Rush last year during the season and only had him active for three out of 12 games. There is a lot of opportunity for conerbacks to show their worth this year for the Steelers, so Rush is one of several who could shine during camp.

John Rhys Plumlee (3rd)
Sometimes Steelers fans can come infatuated with the fourth quarterback and how much playing time he actually receives In camp. Plumlee has a lot of athleticism and could be used in other roles other than quarterback, so if the Steelers start putting him back on kickoffs or even lining him up as a wide receiver, the buzz will definitely takeoff.

Both:

Cory Trice Jr. (Both 2nd)
Since he didn’t even take the field in a full padded practice last year, Trice is still eligible to be a camp darling in 2024 much like Calvin Austin was in 2023. On his way as a darling last year before injury, Trice was second on both our lists simply because we hope he has the opportunity to show what he can do after everything was cut so short last year.

Beanie Bishop (Both 1st)
The hype behind Beanie Bishop has been going on for quite some time, and him being a potential player to grab the slot cornerback position will have Steelers fans constantly seeing what he does each day. At this point, he is the darling unless somebody else knocks him off the pedestal.

So there are our eight players we feel could be the darling of the Steelers 2023 training camp. Which player do you feel will get the most buzz now that the pads are coming on? Is there someone else you feel is the top candidate who was not listed? Make sure you leave your thoughts in the comments below.

To hear the entire show and more of a breakdown for each player, the episode of The Scho Bro Show podcast can be heard here: