Drew Allar showcased his deep ball and Broderick Jones delivered a bounce-back performance in pass protection during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ annual night practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. Nearly 8,500 fans watched the team work through crucial position battles and veteran mentoring sessions as training camp progressed.
The intensity at Latrobe Memorial Stadium reached a peak during the Steelers’ ninth practice of training camp. Playing in front of almost 8,500 spectators on a Saturday night, several players on the roster seized the opportunity to reverse early-camp struggles under the stadium lights, according to the Post-Gazette’s reporting on the annual night practice.
Broderick Jones and Offensive Line Resurgence at Latrobe Memorial Stadium
For Broderick Jones, the evening marked a definitive turning point. The 2023 first-round pick out of Georgia had struggled mightily during the opening week of fully padded practices, losing reps to both starters and backups while looking for his rhythm following a season-ending neck injury against the Bears on Nov. 23, 2025.
Working on the second-team offensive line behind Dylan Cook, Jones put together his strongest pass-protection performance of the camp. During a one-on-one drill, he squared off against fourth-year edge rusher Nick Herbig—who recently signed a $103 million contract extension—and used disciplined footwork and strong hand placement to throw the linebacker to the ground. Jones immediately followed that up with another clean win against Jack Sawyer.
Cook also enjoyed a solid outing, successfully countering two pass-rush reps against T.J. Watt. Meanwhile, Troy Fautanu added a 2-1 evening in pass protection, splitting reps with Alex Highsmith and holding off Herbig, giving a lift to an offensive tackle unit that has absorbed three first-round draft investments over the past four years.
Drew Allar Finds His Deep Ball with Aaron Rodgers’ Guidance
Rookie quarterback Drew Allar needed a productive outing after an inconsistent start to camp that included a widely circulated video of a missed practice net. Operating in an offense at Penn State that rarely utilized his raw arm strength, Allar used his time in Pittsburgh to tap into veteran mentor Aaron Rodgers’ expertise.
Allar added that he had been picking Aaron’s brain on it maybe a week or so ago, which allowed him to execute cleanly during a live setting in front of 8,499 fans.
That mentorship translated directly to the field. Allar connected on a 25-yard seam strike to tight end Robert Tonyan, followed immediately by a 30-yard deep ball down the right sideline to Brandon Smith against tight coverage. He later hit Smith again on a 20-yard crossing route, highlighting what the Post-Gazette noted as his best passing display of the summer.
In the broader quarterback picture, Allar has shown more decisiveness and willingness to stretch the field compared to Will Howard during recent practices at Saint Vincent College, though Howard retains strong intangibles rooted in his leadership during Ohio State’s national title run, according to CBS Sports sideline observations.
Backfield Battles and Defensive Turnovers Under the Lights
In the backfield, Rico Dowdle is establishing himself as the frontrunner for the starting running back role. Dowdle, who rushed for 1,000 yards under Mike McCarthy in Dallas, has quickly formed a chemistry with Rodgers.
Dowdle added that Rodgers is the smartest quarterback
he has worked with, expressing eagerness for the regular season.
That backfield workload will run alongside Jaylen Warren, who posted career highs with 958 rushing yards and eight total touchdowns last season. Warren remains driven by his undrafted status from the 2022 draft.
Warren noted that whether it is Year 5 or Year 11, he will carry that chip on his shoulder while eyeing a 1,000-yard individual campaign behind an offensive line whose chemistry is steadily building.
The defense also made its presence felt during situational drills. Jamel Dean set the tone during a situational down and distance sweep by jumping an Aaron Rodgers pass intended for Roman Wilson and returning it for a pick-six. Rodgers and the first-team offense answered on the ensuing drive when the veteran quarterback lofted a 30-yard pass down the sideline to DK Metcalf, who managed to tip-toe the boundary despite tight coverage from Asante Samuel Jr.
