LATROBE, PA- While practice was largely overshadowed by the news of Chris Boswell and Cam Heyward both seeking pay raises, there was plenty of action on the field in what was the final practice before the team takes on the Jaguars in Jacksonville this weekend. Here are my biggest takeaways from Thursday’s practice:

Full seven shots results

Jaylen Warren takes the handoff and punches it in for the TD.

Rodgers tries to hit Scotty Miller, but the pass falls incomplete with Derrick Harmon closing in.

Rodgers scrambles and eventually finds Brandon Johnson in the back of the endzone for the TD.

Mason Rudolph tries to hit Lance McCutcheon on a slant, but Juan Thornhill breaks it up.

Rudolph finds Evan Hull in the flat for a walk in TD.

Skylar Thompson finds Ke’Shawn Williams for a TD.

Rodgers makes a great throw to Miller in the back of the endzone, but the receiver couldn’t get both feet down. Offense wins 4-3.

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Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu post their best practice to date

I was thoroughly impressed with both of the presumptive Steelers starting tackles today. Rodgers was able to extend a play in seven shots, a period where he had great blocking overall. Fautanu and Jones were more than holding their own in team periods as well, constantly winning reps. Jones, a 2023 first-round pick, is in what feels like a make-or-break year. Fautanu only played 55 snaps as a rookie, but has been a standout throughout camp. Both of the young tackles will be worth watching in the preseason.

The battle to make the 53-man roster heats up for the wide receivers

The Steelers have a wide-open receiver room. Beyond DK Metcalf, it is truly anyone’s guess who steps in as the second and third option in that room.

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The far-and-away favorites right now would be Calvin Austin III, Robert Woods, and Roman Wilson. With four receivers virtually locked to make the team, that leaves about two spots maximum for any combination of veterans or undrafted free agents. In all honesty, many of these fringe roster players are making it very difficult for the Steelers to choose which ones will make the team.

Ben Skrownek is under contract with the team and made several catches in team periods today. Ke’Shawn Williams was the undrafted free agent who stood out today. Williams snagged a TD in seven shots and had several long receptions in team periods, most notably a 20-yard crosser from Mason Rudolph that could have gone for serious yards after the catch in a game.

Roc Taylor, a fan favorite, shone in the two-minute drills. On one play, Taylor burned his defender for what should have been a touchdown if not for an underthrown ball by Thompson. However, the very next play, Taylor elevated and made a strong catch inside the five that ended up resulting in a touchdown for the offense. Scotty Miller also made several plays on throws from Rodgers today.

This receiver room will be interesting to watch throughout the preseason to see who truly separates themselves.

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The running back room could be a three-headed monster

For the second straight day, I was intrigued by Kenneth Gainwell’s usage as a pass catcher. The veteran free agent signing had a long touchdown in team periods yesterday, where Rodgers found him open in the back of the endzone. He got more work in the passing game today, with a lot of checkdowns and drills designed for the backs to be used as pass catchers.

I don’t doubt that Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson will get the bulk of the reps in this offense, but Gainwell could prove to be too valuable as a pass catcher to keep off the field. The Steelers saw this firsthand last season when Gainwell hauled in all three of his targets for 40 yards receiving in a game against the Steelers, and it seems the team is going to try to get Gainwell involved and create a strong committee early on.

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The Steelers have long been a run-first team, and Arthur Smith will continue to do that this season. However, more screens out of the backfield could prove to be useful for this team, as their top three backs can all pose threats as receivers.

Injury updates

The Steelers rested a several veterans today, including T.J. Watt, DK Metcalf, Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, Patrick Queen, and Darius Slay. There were no updates on the injuries sustained by Alex Highsmith or Calvin Austin III, but they had already been ruled out of the first preseason game, according to Mike Tomlin.

The most interesting comment Tomlin made was that he is not ruling out Will Howard playing in the preseason finale. This is good news for Howard, as preseason will likely be the only opportunity he gets to prove himself this season. This comment was made after Tomlin said yesterday that Howard’s injury does not require surgery and is more of a rest and recovery injury. Derrick Harmon was also back on the practice field after sitting out a day with bumps and bruises.

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Other notes

I continue to be thoroughly impressed with Roman Wilson. After an injury scare early in practice, Wilson continued to form a strong connection with Rodgers. Wilson is going to have an opportunity to play himself into major regular-season playing time this preseason.

Yahya Black batted down a pass from Mason Rudolph in the two-minute drills. This marks the second day in a row that Black has batted down a Rudolph pass in the two-minute drills. I mentioned it yesterday, but I have to say it again. Black is going to have a real opportunity to make a big impact early for this Steelers defense.

Robert Woods made an incredible diving catch on a 40-yard bomb downfield from Rudolph. Got a big ovation from the crowd and was one of the more impressive catches I saw all week.

Beanie Bishop and Juan Thornhill were all over the field today. Both had pass breakups in 11-on-11 situations. Bishop played well as a rookie and will figure to be an impact player for the team throughout the preseason. Thornhill concluded what was a solid week of work.

Derrick Harmon was getting great pressure on the inside all day. It was a battle between Isaac Seumalo and Harmon all day. After sitting out a day, Harmon returned and made his presence felt. While the offensive line had a great day overall, Harmon certainly got his.