Some things you'll notice from the Steelers at the 'Friday Night Lights' practice

The “Friday Night Lights” practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium is always a good time for fans to get an early glimpse of the Steelers in advance of the club’s preseason games. It all starts at 7 p.m.

For those who are attending but haven’t been to training camp practices yet, here are some things I bet you’ll notice right away about the 2024 edition of the team.

• How big Cory Trice and Ryan Watts are: After 23 years of covering the sport, I’m used to feeling really small next to NFL players.

Let’s face it. I’m really small when I walk into a Starbucks or get in line at a deli.

Feeling tiny next to Cameron Heyward, Darnell Washington or Broderick Jones is one thing. However, I’m not used to feeling extremely short next to defensive backs.

Watts and Trice are big people, though, and I notice it every time I’m near them. Trice is listed at 6-foot-3, 206 pounds and Watts is 6-3, 212. The way they are put together, both feel bigger than that when you stand next to them. They look like pass rushers.

If either of those two can put it all together and figure out how to do this job on the NFL level, they will be imposing in the secondary. Both have length and range that is impressive when they are healthy.

• How short Russell Wilson really is: Similarly, I’m used to feeling pretty short whenever I interview Steelers quarterbacks. Tommy Maddox and Ben Roethlisberger were both 6-5. Mason Rudolph was 6-4½. Kenny Pickett (6-3) and Mitch Trubisky (6-2) weren’t huge but big enough.

Kordell Stewart wasn’t all that tall, about 6-1. But Wilson, at barely 5-11, is the first Steelers QB that I’ve interviewed since Michael Vick that I haven’t had to crane my neck and strain my shoulder holding a recorder to interview him.

You’ll notice it when Wilson is standing near his receivers. Scotty Miller and Calvin Austin III actually don’t look short next to him, and George Pickens and Van Jefferson look like Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal.

How Wilson has managed to make nine Pro Bowls playing that position at that height is really remarkable.

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• How mean Mason McCormick is: If there is a dust-up or scrum Friday night, you can be sure the rookie guard will be involved. It’s not that fellow first-year offensive linemen Troy Fautanu or Zach Frazier have been underwhelming. It’s just that, of the three, McCormick is the one I’ve noticed the most because it seems like he is constantly mauling and mixing it up.

You rarely see a rookie go after an established veteran such as Elandon Roberts in the way McCormick did after Roberts shoved Justin Fields to set off that fracas at practice earlier this week.

• The offensive line deployment: Speaking of the rookies, unless something surprising happens, you’ll still see Nate Herbig with the first team at center and Dan Moore at left tackle.

We’ve had the Moore-Jones-Fautanu conversation ad nauseam already. At this point, it’s not even worth the oxygen. They are just going to play Moore until they deem it impossible to keep playing him.

The Herbig-Frazier thing is actually more interesting to me because at least Moore has 49 starts, mainly at left tackle. Herbig has only played 48 snaps at center in his NFL career and none since 2021.

This is a position change for him. He’s mainly been a guard. Frazier is actually far more experienced at the center position.

There was as much reason, if not more, to fast track Frazier at center than Fautanu at tackle even though Fautanu was the first-round pick and Frazier went in the second round.

For now, that’s not happening with either player.

• You won’t get much out of seeing the new kickoff alignment: Unless they practice it at full speed Friday night, you are just going to see special teams coach Danny Smith making sure everyone lines up properly and knows when to move and where to go the instant the ball is touched.

The NFL's new dynamic kickoff rules ???? pic.twitter.com/1N02SW7e4k

— ESPN (@espn) August 2, 2024

Even if you do see it at full speed Friday, if you saw the Hall of Fame game Thursday night, you know it’s not all that interesting.

For the first time... the Dynamic Kickoff ????

????: @ProFootballHOF Game on ESPN/ABC
????: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/wga0LmuvtH

— NFL (@NFL) August 2, 2024

At least it’s better than touchbacks.

• DeMarvin Leal: Yup. You’ll notice No. 98.

I know. Those of us in the media have been telling you that since he got drafted in 2022. Based on his play in training camp so far, it looks like we are finally going to be right.

• Justin Fields is exactly who you thought he was in Chicago: Unfortunately, so was Trubisky.

But if Wilson can come back healthy enough to be the Week 1 starter as planned, then maybe the Steelers can just spot in Fields for a series or drive here and there during games and capture his athleticism.

It’s 100% as advertised. Fields is a dynamic runner. He can definitely throw. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t always come out clean, go to the right spot or leave his hand on time.

Fields’ best play might follow his worst play or his worst play usually follows his best play.

That’s often the way it’s been at Saint Vincent College. That’s what I expect under the “Lights” at the stadium.