The Steelers left Saint Vincent College with more than sore legs and practice notes. After three weeks of training camp, the team’s quarterback, running back, receiver and cornerback battles had started to separate, with some players moving ahead and others sliding back as roster decisions draw closer.
The clearest change came at quarterback, where the competition flipped when the Steelers reported to Latrobe. Mason Rudolph opened the preseason opener and completed 10 of 11 passes, a clean showing that kept him in the QB2 conversation. His lone incompletion went to Germie Bernard, who caught the pass but could not get his second foot down in the end zone.
Howard’s first preseason appearance was less tidy, but it still mattered. He put together a successful two-minute drill, then later made a poor decision on a third down that put the ball into harm’s way. That mix is why the possibility of keeping four quarterbacks is gaining momentum, even if the backup job itself remains unsettled.
Elsewhere, the running back race also moved. Johnson carried the ball two times for three yards against the Packers and drew a sideline chewing-out from Danny Crossman, while Lew Nichols flashed good vision and burst. Travis Homer struggled to pick up a blitz that led to a sack, a reminder that his role as the personal protector on the punt team is part of the calculation, not a footnote.
At receiver, Wilson had the overwhelming majority of the WR3 snaps in 11 personnel when DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. were healthy, and he put together a strong couple weeks in Latrobe before a quiet preseason game on Thursday. Bernard, by contrast, had a strong debut of his own, turning catches into yards after the grab and spinning out of tackles while running through others. The three-man competition for cornerback now looks down to Anderson and Hoffman, with Dunker already earning a reputation as a mauling run blocker while still needing work in pass protection and during one-on-one reps.
That is the shape of camp now: not final answers, but clearer lanes. The next two preseason games matter because they are the last clean chances for players like Rudolph, Howard, Johnson, Wilson, Bernard, Nichols and Homer to change the math before the Steelers have to make it real.
