LATROBE, Pa. – The Steelers signed Cordarrelle Patterson in late March in response to the NFL's new kickoff rules being implemented on a one-year trial basis, and on Monday at Saint Vincent College they got to see him practice in pads for the first time.
Patterson's debut was delayed because he reported to training camp with a hamstring injury and was placed on the non-football injury list. And with Patterson finally in pads, the Steelers didn't take long to throw him into the thick of things.
During the first snap of 7-Shots, which was the first competitive period of the day's practice, Patterson lined up in a receiver position, came around and took a handoff from Russell Wilson, and then raced to the opposite pylon for the touchdown on a reverse.
Coach Mike Tomlin was not surprised that it took Patterson almost no time to call some attention to his presence on the field in a positive way.
"This is not his first rodeo," said Tomlin. "He's been around a couple blocks and back, so I don't think any of us are surprised he's capable and can swim in these waters."
On another play during the same drill, Patterson lined up in the backfield and took a straight handoff for a running play over right guard. He was stopped short of the goal line. And it was somewhat fitting that 7-Shots ended the way it began, with a slight twist: the offense ran a reverse for the touchdown that gave that unit a 4-3 win, but this time the guy with the football was George Pickens.
"We had another really strong day today of Steelers vs. Steelers," said Tomlin. "I thought there was really good intensity in our tackle periods, 7-Shots and team run. We had overkill today relative to possession-down football. We didn't perform well last Friday night on third downs on either side of the ball, and so we had an overreaction, a thoughtful overreaction. We drowned ourselves in possession-down football today. Three of our periods were every down is third down just to kind of take advantage of this atmosphere and the last week that we have up here. Those possession downs are significant. We're just thoughtful about how we finish up here in terms of some of the things that we emphasize in an effort to capture the last of what this environment provides us."
The Steelers are off Tuesday, and will have their final practice on campus at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. There is a joint practice scheduled with Buffalo for 2 p.m. on Thursday at Acrisure Stadium. That practice is closed to the public.
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS
• During a special teams period devoted to punting, third-year defensive back Thomas Graham Jr. caught a punt over the shoulder on the fly in coverage to down the ball inside the 5-yard line. Later, Cameron Johnston launched a 70-yard punt that landed less than 2 yards from the right sideline.
• A Kyle Allen pass was deflected by Beanie Bishop Jr. and intercepted by CB Kyler McMichael. Bishop and Grayland Arnold were seeing the most action at the nickel back position on Monday.
• The outcome of three different passes to Van Jefferson: Joey Porter Jr. was in tight trail coverage and got a hand in as the ball arrived to cause an incompletion; on another pass for Jefferson, the ball was thrown slightly behind him and when he turned his body to make the catch, Cory Trice Jr. was right there to rake the ball out of his hands; and the final example had Jefferson running a deep post pattern in which he used his body to shield Porter and when Justin Fields' throw led Jefferson to open grass he made the catch for a big gain.
TOMLIN'S INJURY UPDATE
"We've got guys with a myriad of training camp-like bumps and bruises. Some guys were given a day off. There's not really anything to speak of. Safety DeShon Elliott, for example was one. CB Donte Jackson is another example of that, and some others. But you guys know, we focus less on those who we're minimizing and those who were not working, and we view it more as an opportunity for some ascending guys to get not only more reps, but more competitive reps against experienced competition. So, that's how we look at some of that. We'll continue to look at that through the remainder of this process. I think when I come back on Wednesday, ILBs Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts, for example, will rotate out. It'll be a good day for a guy like Payton Wilson." Troy Fautanu, who sprained his knee during the game against the Texans last Friday night, attended practice and watched the workout while wearing a sleeve-like brace on his left knee. He already has been ruled out of Saturday's game vs. Buffalo.
