LATROBE, Pa. – It was an interesting day at Saint Vincent College. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields split the reps at quarterback with the first-team offense; and No. 1 pick Troy Fautanu took the snaps at right tackle with the first-team offense, while Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones split the snaps at left tackle.
The development at quarterback is another indication that Wilson continues to be on the way back from the calf injury he sustained during the conditioning test on July 24, while the development at offensive tackle could be nothing more than getting a look at how Fautanu is developing two weeks into his first professional training camp.
Besides those two "developments," the 11th practice of this training camp was one that pleased Coach Mike Tomlin, coming as it did after physical practices last Friday and Sunday and then immediately following the players day off on Monday.
"I really like the spirit that they brought to the work today coming off an off day, and that's really kind of been a point of emphasis for us," said Tomlin. "We can't waste time. The days are precious. We can't waste time on the front end of off days. We can't waste time on the back end of off days. I liked the attention and urgency that they brought on Sunday, and it continued today. And so those are good signs."
7-SHOTS
Wilson and Fields split the first four snaps of the drill that typically go to the first-team offense. Wilson handed the ball to Najee Harris for a touchdown, and he threw a pretty fade to George Pickens for another score. Fields was ruled to have been stopped on a read-option play, and then his pass for Pickens was tipped and then intercepted by safety DeShon Elliott. With Kyle Allen at quarterback, his slant pass was intercepted by safety Nate Meadors, and then RB Aaron Shampklin powered over left guard and into the end zone. That tied things at 3-3, and Tomlin put the first-teams back onto the field. Wilson handed the ball to Harris who was judged to be short of the goal line to give the defense a 4-3 win.
NOTES/OBSERVATIONS
RB Jonathan Ward, a veteran who was signed after participating in Rookie Minicamp on a tryout basis, continues to show flashes as part of the group at the position competing behind Harris and Jaylen Warren. On one play during 11-on-11, Ward took the handoff and hit a seam in the defense over right guard, and then when he got into the second level he ran away from the pursuit and completed the play for a long touchdown … CB Anthony Averett, another veteran who was signed after attending Rookie Minicamp on a tryout basis, made a couple of plays in the secondary. On the first, he intercepted a pass off a deflection by CB Cory Trice Jr., and on the second he was in tight coverage and got his hand in to knock the ball away before the receiver could secure it … Cordarrelle Patterson, currently on the non-football injury list with a hamstring issue, did a bit of running on a side field as part of his ongoing rehabilitation.
TOMLIN'S INJURY UPDATE
"We've got a laundry list of camp-like injuries and so forth. LB Tyler Murray has a groin; LB Alex Highsmith has a groin; S Nate Meadors has a hamstring; DE DeMarvin Leal had something happen, but it's that time of year. It's the dog days of summer. We'll get through it. One man's misfortune is another man's opportunity. It's going to create some short lines in some instances, and guys going to really have an opportunity to put their conditioning on display, or work on (their conditioning). But it's a component of the process. We'll keep rolling this ball out and growing."
