Steelers inside the ropes: Najee Harris, Patrick Queen get chippy in ‘Backs on backers’

For the second time in a four-day span, the Pittsburgh Steelers staged the drill that, arguably, results in the most contact, physicality, trash-talking and testosterone. And the Friday Night Lights edition of “backs on backers” featured some chippiness between some of the team’s highest-profile players.

While the one-on-one mock-pass rush/pass protection matchups of either running backs against inside linebackers or tight ends against outside linebackers always allow competitive juices to flow, the main events during the annual night practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium were the meetings between the top two running backs versus the top two inside linebackers.

Linebacker Patrick Queen and running back Najee Harris are two of the biggest talkers on the team. They staged competitive reps, one of which resulted in them roiling to the ground in the aftermath. After, though, each stood face to face and talked at each other.

When Jaylen Warren and Elandon Roberts met on consecutive reps, the pop of their shoulder pads colliding could be heard throughout the stadium. Roberts elected to try to run through Warren, whose stout blocking largely stood up. The offense — led by Harris — gathered around Roberts to let him know about it. Eventually, defensive players got into the skirmish.

No punches were thrown in what was more a scrum of talking and bumping, and coach Mike Tomlin got himself in the middle of things to keep order.

“I can’t say enough about those top two backs,” Tomlin said. “They set the tone for the drill. That’s a drill that gives an advantage to linebackers, obviously, but when you got some strong-minded runners, it makes it highly competitive. And those two in particular don’t run from the fight. They run to the fight. I respect it.”

Throughout most of the rest of the drill, Queen jawed with Harris and Warren and even former star Steelers linebacker-turned-coaching-intern Ryan Shazier.

• Starting quarterback Russell Wilson remains status quo. He was in uniform and pads and took part in all individual drills and directed the 7-on-7 offense. A small number of snaps he took in 11-on-11 continued to be all running plays.

• That left Justin Fields again as the QB of the first-team offense. He directed scores on each of the first four snaps of the “seven shots” 2-point conversion simulation, and after the offense triumphed on both of the snaps run by the second-teamers (led by QB Kyle Allen), Tomlin allowed the first-team defense a chance to redeem themselves. It worked. They prevented a “shutout.” Fields threw touchdown passes to Pat Freiermuth, George Pickens and Calvin Austin III. Allen threw one to Dez Fitzpatrick, and the offense twice scored on runs by Harris and Warren.

• Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick had a limited day of work. Reserve outside linebackers Jeremiah Moon and Kyron Johnson did not practice.

• Two veterans took extensive reps at positions for which they are not listed: DeMarvin Leal (purportedly a defensive lineman) was rushing off the edge as an outside linebacker all evening, and Cameron Sutton (listed as a cornerback) repped almost exclusively at safety. Though each had been practicing at times at those spots throughout much of camp, it seemed as if each did it more often than he ever had Friday.

• The Steelers announced the attendance at 12,268. Anecdotally, it was as packed a stadium as had been seen. The bleachers on both sides were packed, and the entire circumference of the track surrounding the stadium was filled with spectators, often several people deep.

• According to a representative at the stadium, among those attending practice were individuals representing 38 states, five foreign countries, plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.