Steelers Training Camp 2025 All-Access (Ep. 3) | Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Training Camp 2025 All-Access (Ep. 3) | Pittsburgh Steelers

Week two of Steelers training camp is in the books. And now the team sets their sights on next week’s first preseason game in Jacksonville against the Jaguars. We’ve got the week covered for you coming up next. This is Steelers Training Camp all access on KDKA TV. Welcome to Steelers Training Camp All Access sponsored by FedEx. Good evening everyone and welcome to Saint Vincent College. This is Steelers training camp all access 2025. I’m Bob Pompiani on top of these wonderful fields here at St. Vincent College joined by the quarterback of the program, Mr. Charlie Batch. Charlie, let’s talk about this now two weeks into this observation so far. What have you seen? What have you liked? Yeah, you can see right now that right now both teams are tired of seeing each other at this particular points. the pad came on this week and these guys are really getting after it and it’s exciting to see because you can start to see this team jelling in the manner that it needs to do. They certainly have gotten some great work done, but that has not been easy all the time with mother nature because up here you never know what you’re going to get, especially in the summertime and rain has been an issue. First day of pads was scheduled for Tuesday, but that was postponed by torrential rains that hit the LRO area that afternoon. Fans kind of race for cover and that’s today’s practice. It had to be moved inside to a gym here at St. Vincent College, which meant the first day of real contact took place on Wednesday. Rich Walsh was there. He files this report. All right, thanks a lot, guys. Weather has been a big factor out here. Not only hot, but rain has forced Mike Tomlin to make major adjustments to the practice schedule. The big one forcing the first day of pads to Wednesday. And that’s when the intensity level was ramped up a notch. And you could definitely feel it out here. Aaron Rogers liked it and said it’s been about a decade since he was involved in something like this in a camp setting. Guys on both sides of the ball were looking forward to this day. Most saying it felt like real football started. Pton Wilson and Joey Porter Jr. were two of the guys that stood out during Wednesday’s first padded practice. Man, really good days work today. Uh thankfully the weather cooperated with us. Um a lot of competition periods and some tackling is just a major component of this uh development individually and collectively. people that have physicality is an asset to their game. It needs to show up and show up consistently. The people that you mentioned do and so it’s good to see. I mean, this is real football. Um, everything else is just underwear practice almost. Uh, I mean, it’s very football like it’s not football at all. And then you get out here in seven shots, team run, and it’s it’s football, you know? You get to really see what people are about. Uh, you get to see Joey Porter step stepping up, making big time hits. So, it’s just really cool to see. From day one, I feel like we’ve been out here competing. the atmosphere and the environment is something um it’s like you don’t you can’t replicate, you know what I mean? Especially when you got a defense like this you get to go against every single day. So obviously um with pads on it’s a little different, but we’re going to continue to to keep getting better as an offense and and hopefully put on a better show than we did today. Aaron Rogers also stood out on Wednesday throwing a couple touchdown passes and also said he loves the flexibility of this offense. Guys, back up to you. All right, Rich, thanks very much. So, the pads came on and when that happens, the tempers normally flare. Charlie, this happens at training camp. There going to be some skirmishes. You saw a few of those out there. Your thoughts about them? And I mean, are they necessary? Is it good for team bonding to have those kinds of things? It’s good for team bonding. And when you go the entire offseason without pads and you finally have that opportunity to put those pads on, you want to see who’s going to step up. And what I love about what happened, you have Patrick Queen, then you have Jaylen Warren. these guys are getting after because they want to go out there and set the tone for the rest of the group. And you can see everybody’s paying attention to it. Mike Tomlin is standing right there. And when you have your quarterback standing there, Aaron Rogers, watching that particular jury, he wants to know who’s going to be able to stand up and protect him in the fire. And it was good to see. Very good to see. And you like to see that, especially with the heat of Latroe. But I got to tell you, after just one day of padded practices, Mike Tomlin forced to make another weather related decision, moving Thursday’s practice to the morning to avoid some incoming weather because it came in pretty quickly. That move to the morning coincided with a big drop in temperatures out here at the end of the week, which almost everyone appreciated except for a certain Steelers tight end who was asked if he’d rather have cooler temps or the heat turned up. The heat turned up, man. I mean, it it sucks in the time being, but it gets you better, gets you in football shape. Um, you know, and it that’s the whole point of camp is to, you know, have the hard practice out here and so it makes the games easier and stuff. Charlie, you’ve been through a lot of these, you know, when it heat turns up all of a sudden tempers start to flare. Is it good to have this kind of stuff as far as conditioning for the team? It really is because this tests your mental toughness anytime that you’re going through this, right? It’s one thing to practice in the morning, but when you put uh turn the heat up in the manner that has been up here, it is really good. And Tomlin wants to see how his team responds. But ultimately, this is the temperature that these teams are going to be playing in as the preseason heads ahead of us. Yeah, one way to beat the heat is to have practice at night at sunset. And that’s exactly what happens here every year. It’s part of a tradition. Friday night lights at LRO Memorial Stadium. 13,000 people showed up for this representing 36 states, representing many different countries. It’s like a pilgrimage to St. Vincent College. Let’s take a look at a brief look back at what happened here on Friday night. It was just awesome to see the fans. It’s just an honor to to work and get better in front of them. Charlie, looking back on your career, you were involved in many of these night practices at Latroe. People came out. How cool is it they still do it? They’re one of the few teams that continue this tradition. It really is. And for me, it takes me back 30 years when I was at Steel Valley High School and playing Whipio football. And I think the beauty of it is all the fans that are coming out, over 13,000 fans that were a part of it. But I love to see the reaction of all the other players because it’s one thing to hear about Western PA football. But when they see the crowd showing up in that particular manner, they’re in awe and they know they have to put on a good performance for all of those fans that are actually watching. Hey, training camp is now more than halfway over, but there are still plenty of workouts for fans to attend. You can check them all out tomorrow afternoon, but not on Monday as they receive a welldeserved day off. Practices then resume on Tuesday through Thursday before they travel to Jacksonville. And that first preseason game coming up on August the 9th, next Saturday. Camp then wraps up with two more workouts the following week on Monday and Tuesday. Coming up, Rich Walsh goes one-on-one with Steelers first round pick Derek Harmon, who has been opening some eyes up here for sure as a rookie in this camp. That’s coming up next. Don’t go away. Welcome back to Steelers Training Camp All Access, sponsored by FedEx. FedEx, where now meets next. There have been quite a few standout performances so far. I know it’s just two weeks of camp, but you can tell some of these things early on, and it’s always nice when one of them is your most recent first round pick. Rich Walsh had a chance to go one-on-one with a guy who has a prominent role already with this team, Derek Harmon. All right, thanks a lot, guys. I’m with the Steelers first round draft pick, Derek Harmon. Derek, how are things going up here? How’s the adjustment? Um, the adjustment going good, man. Uh, not too much. Uh, just really honored trying to work and compete at a high level with these guys um, and really get acclimated in this um, environment. How How did you acclimated yet? You feel like it? Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. We got the pads on today for the first time, so ready to get after. What about staying in the dorms again? You haven’t done this in a while, but you’re probably closer to some of the other people from doing it, though. It feels good. Feel like I’m back in college. Um you um you’re around your team more. Um instead of going back home after a work day, you’re able to stay around your team and really get that bond and connection with your team. So, I feel like it’s good. So, you started with OTAAS, you had mini camp, now you have here. How is that connection going with you right now? It’s going good, man. Like, I feel like my whole room is very connected and very rounded. Um and everybody in that room want to see each other get better. What do you think your role is right now? Um, heading into the season, are you hoping to be the starter? I imagine that’s what you want to do, right? That’s the that’s the goal. And, um, that’s my goal I’m working towards. And if it’s not that, then any like I said, any ro I’m giving, that’s the role I’m going play to best my ability. What are some of the things that you felt like you needed to work on to make that next step? Really just get down this uh speed of the game because this is a whole another speed and really just honing in on this defense, my playbook. I’m in my playbook every night. So, just really trying to hold in on those those key things. How important is Cam Hayward right now to you? He’s very important, man, because he been doing it a long time. He’s a elite elite player at this level. And to have that guy in the room with you and play next to him, it means a lot because I getting knowledge from him in in the middle of the plays and even in the classroom. Sir, you feel like a Steeler yet? Hell yeah. Most definitely. Yes, sir. How cool is it when you’re up here and you see all these fans screaming? They have maybe your number on. Have you seen a bunch of your jerseys up there yet? I’ve seen a few, man. It’s still It’s still unreal, but um still my main focus is just football right now. just really trying to hone in on the little details and the key things to make me a great player. All right, guys. Thanks very much. Here’s a little background on Harmon. The Detroit native is obviously a big guy at 313 pounds, an impressive wingspan. He was drafted out of Oregon, but played his first three years at Michigan State, and he was the first defensive lineman taken in the first round by the Steelers since Cam Hayward. A lot of expected from Derek Harm. He’s a first round pick already installed as a starter. So, Charlie, what have you seen from him? What do you like so far from this big guy? This guy is a large human being. He takes up a lot of space up front and with everything that we expected from him as he was drafted number one, we’re starting to see that right now. The pads came on. It’s very tough to run on and what better way for you to have a mentor like Cam Hayward to learn from. This is a guy that literally you can see to get excited about that. He has the potential to be a allpro for many season for years. And they certainly need that right off the bat on that defensive line. Absolutely. And Harman’s just one of many linemen taken in the first couple of rounds over the last two years. Omar Khan, the GM, has made a point of doing that. Their last three first round picks have either been offensive or defensive linemen. All appear to be starting caliber heading into the season. They’ve also used their past two second round picks on interior players, taking Zack Frasier, who’s been outstanding, and Keanu Benton on that defensive line. So, Charlie, as a former quarterback, I know you appreciate the insulation of the line and this kind of thing. uh your assessment of what Omar Khan has done with all these linemen in the last couple of years. Yeah, I like the direction on where he’s going. He know he need he knew knows he needed to get younger. He did that up front, but now they have to get that experience. So, a lot of these guys are now going into year two. A lot more is expected from him. When you look at the offensive side of the ball, you know, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, he wants to control that line of scrimmage with the run. You’re starting to see that at this particular point. And of course, on the flip side, you have to be able to stop the run. This is a division that you know they’re going to run the football and that’s how you have to address it in the manner that Omar Khan did. When we come back, we’re going to shift our focus from defensive line to linebacker and a guy who again is heading into a prominent role this season. That would be Payton Wilson. Next up right here on Steelers All Access Training Camp 2025. Welcome back to Steelers Training Camp All Access, sponsored by FedEx. FedEx, where now meets next. All right, welcome back. You know, adjusting to life in the NFL as a rookie can be a daunting assignment, which is why you often see guys in their second year really start to blossom. And that brings us to Payton Wilson, a secondyear linebacker who has a lot on his plate in this training camp. Missy Matthews had a chance to go one-on-one with number 41. All right, it’s time now for our camp combo presented by the UPMC Health Plan. I’m Missy Matthews with Payton Wilson. First day in pads, but you had to wait a day. How did it feel to finally get back out there? It was exciting. Uh just to, you know, go good on good and, you know, fly around, make some plays. Uh this is why you play the game. You know, the past five days have been fun. Uh like coach calls it the acclamation days. And they’re real footballlike. So when you get out here and you put pads on and we’re in seven shots in team periods and you’re actually tackling, you get a sense of what football truly is. In terms of coach Tomlin, he said heading into the first pat of day, he wanted to see you and Kenny Gainwell go at it. Uh, take me through what that was like and all of your reps. Yeah, I mean, uh, KG’s, uh, excuse my language, he’s a hell of a competitor. Um, I mean, backs on backers, we go at it. If we’re running routes, we go at it. Uh, like KG said to me, we’re going to work every single day and eventually we’ll become world champions. Just the the the respect I have for KG, the way that he gets back up and the way that he works every single rep is, I mean, we’re going to make each other really good. Is there anybody that stood out to you in any of the competition periods today? He uh Mark Robinson. Uh he’s been around for a little bit longer than I have, but he’s a heck of a player. Uh plays his role and uh when it’s time to shine, he definitely shines. What was coach’s message to you guys after the first day in pads? It’s hot. It was a long practice. Um just, you know, we have some things to correct, but at the end of the day, get that first day under the belt and you continue to move forward. you know, uh, reach around, shake a man’s hand, thank them for thank thank them for competing against you, and just, you know, try to get better each and every day. All right, Payton, thanks so much. We appreciate it. Yeah, thank you. All right, Missy, thanks very much. Wilson looks to be a full-time starter in this defense, which put up pretty good numbers last year, at least in some of the main categories. They led the league in turnovers, second overall on third downs, but their sack numbers dropped and they struggled against the pass. So, Charlie, let’s talk a little bit about Payton Wilson. What did you like about him as a rookie last year and what do you think he can do in his second year win this uh Steelers defense? When he was on the field, you could see the speed that he obviously brings to this defense and that was something that really you knew he had to play special teams because you had a landing Roberts that were here, but ultimately able to go in and no third down packages. What I’m seeing right now, it looks like the game is completely slowing down for him. He is making plays. He’s anticipating where the ball is going to go. That’s what you want to see from that year one to year two jump. He’s a three down backer. He I expect him to be on the field for the entire time. And this is someone I’m excited about to watch, not only the preseason, but as this regular season goes on. There’s no question about that. The speed he showed last year and his anticipation has been outstanding. All right, coming up, we’re going to head over to the other side of the practice field and join our Steelers insider, Jerry Dulac of the Post Cazette. That’s next right here on KDKA. Welcome back to Steelers Training Camp All Access, sponsored by FedEx. FedEx, where now meets next. You know, one of the positions the Steelers made the biggest changes in this offseason, defensive back, where they swapped one Pro Bowl player for another. And for more on that situation at defensive back, let’s head over to Rich Walsh, who’s joined by a Steeler insider, Jerry Dulac of the Post Gazette. All right, thanks a lot, guys. Obviously, a lot of change this off season and maybe the biggest position of change is that secondary. You know, what do they plan to do there with Jaylen Ramsay now, Darius Slay, you got three quarterbacks. Are they going to move all those guys around or are they going to be in a a permanent position? You know, Rich, every position was touched in some form really except for the offensive line, which is unchanged. I know they’re moving Brick Jones, a left tackle, but in terms of bringing in new players, they didn’t even touch that unit. Every other unit though, they’ve touched and especially the secondary. And you know, the big move for them was when they traded for Jaylen Ramsay, but they signed Darius Slay to a one-year deal uh during the offseason. Now they bring in uh uh Jaylen Ramsey. They signed they brought in Juan Thornnehill in free agency. He’ll be a nickel. He’ll play in the nickel defense, but all four players will stay on the field all the time. The three corners, Joey Porter, Darius Slay, and Jaylen Ramsay, you know, along with Deshawn Elliot, they’ll be on the field all the time. Now, how they use them will depend on the other team and what formations they come out in. Well, a lot of change on the other side of the ball on offense and you had a chance to talk to offensive coordinate Arthur Smith. How much different is this offense going to look this year, you think? Well, you know, Rich, I mean, they made upgrades at at at positions like they brought in Kenneth Gainwell Gainwell to be the number three back, but they can use him at different positions. They could they could line him out. They can flex him out. Look, he’s not going to be their number two receiver. People think that. That’s preposterous. Well, as for that number two receiver, uh is he on the team right now, you think? I I do, Rich. I I because I think they’re going to let this thing play out. Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that that that’s locked in. Uh, you know, it’s etched in stone. Um, but I think their plan right now is they saw Calvin Austin make a big step last year, they really really like him. Now, they’re also hoping that Roman Wilson does that after missing all last year. But I have to tell you, Rich, even though they’ve been uh without pads, you haven’t seen Roman Wilson do anything to stand out where you go, whoa, you know, where you notice him. And at some point in time, he’s going to have to do that because if he’s not doing that without pads right now, what’s going to happen when they put the pads on? But there’s no question Aaron Rogers has spent a lot of his time uh uh concentrating and and trying to connect with DK Medaf. You can see that it’s like every every second throw, certainly every third throw goes to number four. All right, thanks a lot, Jerry. As always, great stuff. Let’s go back across the field to Bob and Charlie. All right, guys. Thanks very much. Right now, let’s shift our attention to the wide receiving room. Been some changes there. Many thought the Steelers would either draft a wide receiver or bring on another free agent to add to this group. So, Charlie, what have you seen from the white outs up here? And where do you think they are right now heading into this preseason? Uh, as far as some of the younger guys, especially. Yeah, I like where they’re at right now. And then, everybody thought it was going to be a three-man race coming into this. Talk about Robert Woods, Calvin Austin, Roman Wilson, but another guy to throw their name into the hat is going to be Scotty Miller. This is a guy, veteran guy that knows how to play this game and wants that opportunity. So there we don’t know how much DK Metaf is going to play in this preseason. So there’s going to be opportunity for one of those four to separate themselves. Those wide receivers are going to have an opportunity to shine before you know it because the preseason games are about to begin. Let’s check this out. They open up the three-game slate in Jacksonville a week from tonight. Steelers make the trek down there and then the Steelers host Tampa in the only home game this preseason. They finish up the exhibition season with a trip to Charlotte and the Panthers. All three games kick off at 7 p.m. All aired exclusively on KDKA TV. Coming up, we’re going to get Charlie’s final thoughts as we head into the final week of Steelers Training Camp. Welcome back to Steelers Training Camp All Access, sponsored by FedEx. FedEx, where now meets next. All right, welcome back to the program. Here’s a final look at the upcoming training camp schedule. If you’re planning to make a trip here to St. Vincent College, workouts begin every day at 1:55 p.m. Keep in mind, a team is off on Monday and then they resume in earnest on Tuesday this week. If you do plan to attend, here are some things to keep in mind. Parking lots open at 11:45 each morning. All tickets are free, but you do have to download them through Ticketmaster. And in addition to the football, there are tons of fan activities and food trucks right here on site. So Charlie, believe it or not, this is our third and final preseason show from up here at St. Vincent College. So far, your takes after two weeks of watching these guys on the field. Yeah, I like where they were at defensively. They those guys were a little ahead of the offense, but they caught up as the following week occurred. So Mike Thomas should be happy as far seen the first two weeks of the season. Let’s see if it now can transition into these preseason games. We’ll see. So Charlie, look forward to working with you next week as we start this process. It’s Jacksonville down in steaming Jacksonville. You’ll see it again live 7:00 on KDKA. That’s going to do it for us. Thank you so much for watching. Thanks to Steelers Media Production and all the help we get from them on a yearly basis. And we’ll see you again all this week on KDKA leading up to that preseason game Saturday at 7 against Jacksonville. Have a great weekend.

Bob Pompeani, Charlie Batch, and Rich Walsh recap the Steelers second week of training camp, talk to Derrick Harmon and more on Training Camp All-Access

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