Good Monday to you Steelers fans.
Late last week as the Pittsburgh Steelers we’re putting the finishing touches on their mandatory mini-camp, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that free agent guard Trai Turner was wrapping up his visit with the Steelers. Turner is a five-time Pro Bowler who was slowed by injuries last season in Carolina. While his overall play was down from previous years Turner likely didn’t come to the Steel City to join a stable-full of guards already here. While not impossible that he could be a depth signing, I just don’t see it which leads to a bigger question. Who isn’t right? Kevin Dotson or David DeCastro? Dotson has shown no sign of having any issues so that leads us to DDC. What we know is that he wasn’t anywhere near healthy in 2020. We also know he was the only guy in camp last week who didn’t participate. Mike Tomlin is under no obligation to issue an injury report and he was in no mood to discuss DeCastro when asked. While certainly his right to keep things close to the vest, all the lack of information does is lead to conjecture by people like me. What I’m not going to do is try and guess what is wrong with DDC. Instead I’ll just say that I 100% believe he himself isn’t 100%. My concern is that it could be something chronic. Those injuries have ended careers quickly and why else have a guy like Turner in if there isn’t a real issue? Sadly, we won’t know anything prior to Training Camp and we probably won’t know much until Camp is well underway.
The Podcast
If you didn’t catch Episode 225 of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc then you can catch up with it right here. We discussed the end of Mini-Camp and talked about some of the key areas that concern us heading into Camp. Give it a listen!
Tweet of the Day… The plot thickens.
Over the 4 weeks of OTAs and minicamp, we talked to every starter …. except David DeCastro.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) June 18, 2021
Father’s Day
I hope all of you had a great day yesterday. I know all too well that there are many for whom this holiday is not so great. We all have unique experiences with our fathers, some good and some not so good. Either way I hope the day was positive for you.
The Hot Names
Every Mini-Camp heading into the summer always produces a few guys that get people talking. Najee Harris? The guy has ridiculous quickness for a man that large but he isn’t who I’m talking about. Three guys turning heads are all in the secondary and that’s a good thing considering our needs there. James Pierre has been really solid intercepting Ben Roethlisberger twice and perhaps most importantly, he looks like things are really clicking for him on the outside. Late round selection Tre Norwood has looked good too and may be placing himself in a position to back up Minkah Fitzpatrick or perhaps play in some specialty packages. The last guy is Mark Gilbert, an undrafted free agent from Duke. The stage has not looked too big for him. He’s shown some sneaky athleticism and will push hard, as of right now, for a spot on the Practice Squad at the worst.
Our Stuff
If you’d like to get some of our stuff you can visit DC4L for tees and hoodies and hats too and RedBubble for decals, stickers and even masks!!
Have a great day Steeler Nation!
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