Training camp is a high priority for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as it is for the rest of the NFL’s franchises.

That importance is increasing with players frequently balking at in-person offseason workouts these days and with the reduction of the preseason schedule to three games.

The Steelers are “lucky” (if you consider more preseason football a good thing) in terms of talent evaluation to still have a fourth preseason game because they’ll play in the Hall of Fame Game against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 5.

This year’s training camp — which opens Thursday — feels especially important for the Steelers. So they better get their routine down as they shift between Heinz Field and the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side.

Here are four reasons why.

1. Learning a new offense: Steelers optimists spent most of the offseason going back and forth between telling the world that the team’s offense will be better this year because of all the changes new coordinator Matt Canada will make, while simultaneously trying to convince us it won’t be all that different for the players to learn.

I’m struggling to understand how it won’t be very different, yet still be chock-full of changes.

During minicamp at Heinz Field, Canada insisted, “We’re going to do what Ben wants to do and how Ben wants to do it.”

Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger is on record as saying, “When you’ve had the same offense or similar offense for 17 years and then all the sudden something looks the exact same but is called something completely different, it is very difficult, and it is a big challenge.”

So those two have fed that push-and-pull over how much change is going to happen as well.

Either way, it’s something new and the players need to master the nuances during training camp. Luckily Roethlisberger and all his pass catchers are back. But rookie running back Najee Harris and tight end Pat Freiermuth need to get up to speed. So does an entirely reconfigured offensive line.

That may be easier said than done between now and Sept. 12.

2. The offensive line: Speaking of the offensive line, that position group needs to be a key area of emphasis leading up to the regular season.

The only person returning to a place where they played the majority of last season is left guard Kevin Dotson. It’s his first year as a full-time starter, though. Chuks Okorafor is going from right tackle to left tackle. Zach Banner is coming off an ACL injury to assume a full-time starting role for the first time as a Steeler at right tackle.

Trai Turner has been signed to replace David DeCastro at right guard. With Maurkice Pouncey retired, either rookie Kendrick Green or returning veteran B.J. Finney needs to emerge as a solid starter at center.

Aside from center, I’m not so much looking at position battles. I’m just looking to see who is capable of handling his task and who may contribute to improving the offensive line from a weak 2020 effort.

3. Position battles: While the offensive line appears to be a case of Adrian Klemm making the best of what he has, there are some other spots on the field where playing time can be won.

The most obvious of which is at cornerback. Cameron Sutton was retained in free agency with the goal of replacing free agent Mike Hilton, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Then Sutton’s importance expanded a few weeks later when veteran Steven Nelson was released.

Sutton may be good enough to bounce between the slot and outside. But he can’t play both positions at the same time.

James Pierre’s play stood out at minicamp when he was playing outside. It’s likely a make-or-break year for third-year, third-round pick Justin Layne. And there are a host of players battling for snaps at the slot position.

Sutton, Joe Haden, Terrell Edmunds and Minkah Fitzpatrick are likely going to be on the field just about every down. How the defensive coaching staff wants to deploy the rest of their secondary options for nickel and dime reps will be a major talking point all summer.

4. The schedule: We all know about the Steelers’ “Murderers’ Row” of opponents the last four weeks. That meat grinder features four teams that made the AFC playoffs last year — the Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens.

But the first four weeks of the regular season is no cakewalk. The Steelers open with a brutal road game against the Buffalo Bills, and they visit the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. Both of those clubs won their respective divisions at 13-3 in 2020.

In between, the Steelers have a tricky home opener Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders, and they host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 for a divisional game they can’t afford to lose.

In other words, despite all these challenges, the Steelers have to be sharp early in 2021. Otherwise, the NFL’s first 17-game regular season may feel particularly long for football fans in Pittsburgh.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)