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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard at training camp on Aug. 9, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
UNITY TWP. and LATROBE, Pa. — The second week of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp has come and gone, and the preseason is nearly here, so let’s break down some of the top performers, and those who struggled in this week’s winners and losers.
WINNER: Max Iheanachor
Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with quarterback Aaron Rodgers at training camp on Aug. 3, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
If you heard one word to describe Steelers first-round draft pick Max Iheanachor after he was selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, it was probably raw. And in many ways, that still fits. Iheanachor is nowhere near a finish product, and there are several areas of his game, notably his hand placement, that require a ton of work.
In addition to raw, though, he’s also huge. When it comes to line play, big can be its own version of good, and even though Iheanachor’s technique has left a lot to be desired, he is also just a mountain of a man to get through or around.
The other thing that really has cemented him into winner status in the first week of padded practices has been his footwork. He’s able to continually shift that gigantic frame to always been in the path of the oncoming defender, even if his hands might happen to be doing all the wrong things.
That makes Iheanachor a much more reliable pass blocker at this stage of his career than one might expect from a prospect so raw — and that’s a very good sign for him earning opportunities as a rookie to protect a 42-year-old starting quarterback.
His current neck/shoulder injury does not seem too serious, so Iheanachor should have a chance to show his progress in the preseason.
LOSER: Will Howard
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard at training camp on Aug. 6, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
I truly thought the backup quarterback battle between Will Howard and Mason Rudolph would be one of the highlights of training camp. Instead, it’s been pure domination by Rudolph — and it really hasn’t been because of anything he’s done.
Rudolph looks like the same quarterback he’s always been, which might have impressed Mike McCarthy, but it’s nothing new to me. I left OTAs thinking that Howard was right on Rudolph’s tail, and that he’d have a real chance to earn the backup job in Latrobe.
Howard is not a high-upside prospect, with a limited arm and only slightly above average size and athleticism. But he looked like he could be a good backup quarterback, and that’s the job the Steelers drafted him to do when they took him in the sixth round in 2024.
Instead, Howard has made more bad mistakes this training camp than anyone, repeatedly putting the football in harm’s way. You can’t be a low-upside option that also has big downsides. Howard isn’t going to grow a bigger arm, and the clock is ticking for him to string together some mistake-free football before cut-down day.
WINNER: Payton Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Payton Wilson at training camp on Aug. 4, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
It’s been hard to parse out exactly how new the Steelers defense is going to look under Patrick Graham. The defensive line seems to mostly doing the same things it’s been doing before, with maybe some small position switches. The focus at outside linebacker has been moving chess pieces around the board. The secondary has been doing things it has always done, but in very different ratios.
Linebacker has been the one area where it feels totally fresh and different. The Steelers had two starting linebackers who did not have seasons up to expectations in 2025, and so far, both Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson look much better this training camp.
Queen has been a great player before, so while his rebound is good to see, it’s not necessarily as big of a deal as it is for Wilson to being to show that he can finally be the three-down player that he showed promise of in college.
WINNER: Yahya Black
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackles Dean Lowry and Yahya Black at training campo on Aug. 8, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The biggest player on the Steelers defense looks even bigger coming into his second NFL season, and maybe more importantly, he looks better. Yahya Black came into the NFL looking every bit the part as a project at nose tackle, but he didn’t come with much experience in that role, coming from a four-man college front at Iowa. The transition wasn’t necessarily an easy one for him as a rookie, but he’s back in 2026 looking bigger, stronger, and with much better technique. Black will probably never become an elite pass rusher, but if he can play the part of the run-plugging monster he looked like, that will do nicely, and he seems to be well on his way.
LOSER: Drew Allar
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Drew Allar at training camp on Aug. 8, 2026. — Ed Thomspon / Steelers Now
There should not have been high expectations for Drew Allar coming into his first training camp, after the first move from McCarthy this spring was stripping down his footwork and fundamentals to the studs. That was a sure sign that the Steelers are considering 2026 to be a redshirt season for Allar, with a long lead time on the project of building him a more consistent passing rhythm.
That being said, it’s still been jarring to see just how erratic some of his misses have been. There have been highlight-reel moments, for sure. Allar has a fantastic arm, and when his delivery cooperates, he can bring some oohs and ahs out of the crowd.
But for me, these couple of weeks of training camp have shown that the Steelers have a lot of work to do with Allar, just because of how wayward some of his passes have been.
WINNER: Brandon Smith
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Brandon Smith at training camp on Aug. 7, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
When Brandon Smith got first-team reps in the first week of training camp, it seemed like it might be something that we talk about for a few days and then goes away. After all, Smith’s resume coming into Pittsburgh was fairly uninspiring. Maybe his past with Aaron Rodgers in New York allowed him to get a hot start at training camp, I surmised.
The flash in the pan hasn’t subsided, though. Smith continues to be one of the better Steelers wide receivers in every practice session. Just taking into account wide receiver ability, and not special teams assignments, I’d call him the team’s fifth-best receiver. Unfortunately for Smith, it seems that there’s a bit of a roster logjam because of the special teamers on the depth chart, but he’s been very, very good all camp.
LOSER: Kaden Wetjen
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Kaden Wetjen and quarterback Aaron Rodgers at training camp on Aug. 7, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
One of those special teamers is rookie Kaden Wetjen, who seems likely to start as a punt and kick returner this season. Not used very much as a wide receiver at Iowa, Wetjen showed some ability during the pre-draft process that seemed to suggest he might have more to give in that area. But it’s been hard to see in the early going at the NFL level.
Wetjen is very fast and very shift, and definitely has an understanding of how to get open that belies his inexperience. That’s what I saw at the Shrine Bowl that first drew me to him.
But it’s also tough for quarterbacks to get him the ball. Wetjen is short, doesn’t seem to jump all that well, and hasn’t shown an aptitude for catching passes that are delivered outside the frame of his body. He can certainly sell be a weapon with the ball in his hands, but he’ll need to show significant improvement to give McCarthy some real chances to get him the ball.
WINNER: Lew Nichols
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson at training camp on Aug. 6, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Steelers entered training camp with a crowded situation at backup running back, with former third-round pick Kaleb Johnson, veteran special teamer Travis Homer and seventh-round pick Eli Heidenreich all jostling for playing time.
Lew Nichols might have been the forgotten piece to that puzzle, but he’s made an impact in training camp, just as he did last season. He’s continued to show strong ball-carrying ability, is an advanced pass protector, and a better special teamer than you might think.
LOSER: Gennings Dunker
Pittsburgh Steelers guard Gennings Dunker at training camp on Aug. 9, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Gennings Dunker was here last week, but that was more about a lack of opportunities, as he was buried on the third team during the non-padded portion of training camp. Now that we’ve seen him get some work, he’s here again.
Dunker has struggled mightily in pass protection in the first week of padded practices, getting dominated by just about any defender that Domata Peko seems willing to send his way. There were obviously issues with his pass protection on his Iowa tape, but I thought the transition to guard would help mask some of those, but if anything, he looks less comfortable now than he did in college.
The run blocking is high level, but that’s only going to take him so far.
WINNER: Gabriel Rubio
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio at training camp on July 29, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The addition of the running game to the practice field has been a big win for Gabriel Rubio. “Rube,” as his teammates have taken to calling him, is not a flashy player, and he doesn’t have an elite athletic profile. He’s nowhere near as big as Black. But he’s just sneakily hard to move, and he continues to show up at the bottom of the pile after stopped-up run plays.
LOSER: Logan Lee
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Logan Lee at OTAs on May 28, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Logan Lee has not been on the field all week, and as he’s sandwiched between guys he’s competing for a roster spot with, you can see why his absence has not been helpful.
WINNER: Esezi Otomewo
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Esezi Otomewo at practice on Sept. 10, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Esezi Otomewo is the only player on this list who was a loser last week and a winner this week. He was buried on the depth chart during the un-padded practices, a move that I thought showed a lack of faith from the new coaching staff, considering his strong play in 2025. Well, “O” has been back at it with strong play this week. I think he’s winning over another coaching staff.
LOSER: Eli Heidenreich
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Eli Heidenreich at training camp on Aug. 7, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steeles Now
What started as a lack of reps based on opportunity has snowballed into a hamstring injury that kept Eli Heidenreich out of the last few Steelers practices, and his hopes of making the 53-man roster are pretty rapidly eroding.
WINNER: Robert Tonyan
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Robert Tonyan at training camp on July 29, 2026, — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
I don’t think there’s been one play that stands out to me about Robert Tonyan, but he has just been very, very solid as a professional No. 3 tight end, and seemingly has that job all but locked down at this point, because he’s dominating the reps behind Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.
He looks comfortable in the offense, he still moves pretty well, I haven’t seen him drop a pass, and he’s even contributing on special teams, which I didn’t necessarily expect from a 32-year-old vet.
Mentioned In This Article: Brandion Smith Drew Allar Eli Heidenreich Esezi Otomewo Gabriel Rubio Gennings Dunker Kaden Wetjen Lew Nichols Logan Lee Max Iheanachor Payton Wilson Pittsburgh Steelers Robert Tonyan Steelers top Will Howard Yahya Black