Steelers inside the ropes: Surprise — Duke Dawson opens up as 1st-team nickel/slot CB
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It wasn’t Chandon Sullivan lined up across from the slot receiver when the first team drill of the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers training camp commenced Thursday. It wasn’t Patrick Peterson in that nickel role, either. Nor was it Tre Norwood.
In a surprise, the first-team nickel cornerback to opening Steelers training camp was Duke Dawson.
Unemployed for six weeks last fall until the Steelers added him to their practice squad Oct. 12, Dawson has not appeared in an NFL regular-season game for almost three years. Though he was a second-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2018, Dawson has only 26 games of NFL experience and none since Dec. 13, 2020, as a member of the Denver Broncos.
But there Dawson was during the first 11-on-11 drill at Saint Vincent College on Thursday, lined up over the slot as Peterson and Levi Wallace manned the outside cornerback positions.
Coach Mike Tomlin, as he is wont to do, downplayed the significance of Dawson’s first-day, first-team status.
“Don’t look too much into what groups people are running with at this juncture, man, you’re going to lead yourself down a bad path,” Tomlin said.
“I wasn’t involved in the discussion in terms of who we sent out here first, because I really didn’t care. You know, we’re just trying to get to know people and we’re going to continue to roll. (Elijah Riley) made a play at the nickel position. Duke’s working at the nickel position. Sully (Sullivan) is working at the nickel position. At some point we’re going to put ‘Pat P’ (Peterson) at the nickel position. Don’t pay too much attention to the depth at this juncture, just being honest.”
- As Tomlin referenced, Riley made a play during the first set of team drills, intercepting a Mason Rudolph pass intended for rookie tight end Darnell Washington when the third-teamers were facing each other.
- As had happened throughout organized team activities and minicamp, returning starter Dan Moore Jr. took first-team reps at left tackle. First-round draft pick Broderick Jones played left tackle on the second team.
- In other rookie-related depth chart notes, Joey Porter Jr. mostly split his time between the first- and second-teamers at outside cornerback. Fellow second-round pick Keeanu Benton was rotated in often as part of the second or third group of defensive tackles. Washington’s reps were with second- and third-teamers. Outside linebacker Nick Herbig sometimes went out with the second unit after starters T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith took their reps.
- Herbig had an early pressure of Mitch Trubisky during an 11-on-11 rep.
- In a departure of longstanding tradition under Tomlin, the team drills portion of practice did not open up with “seven shots” — the series of seven snaps that simulate a two-point conversion.
- The first rep of team drills was a heave from Kenny Pickett down the right sideline to George Pickens on a “go” route that was on target but knocked down by Peterson, who was in good coverage.
- All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick did not take part in any of the team drills, watching while wearing a floppy hat and standing from a vantage point in the back of the defense. Tomlin called the reason for Fitzpatrick’s absence “nothing of any significance.” Tomlin cited that established veterans do not need the practice time and equated Fitzpatrick sitting out completely to that receive Diontae Johnson and defensive lineman Cameron Heyward taking fewer reps. But Heyward and Johnson were not noticeably limited in their reps. Tomlin on Wednesday said: “We don’t see anyone at this juncture that will be limited as we embark on this thing (Thursday).”
- The only player Tomlin noted who did not finish practice was first-year tight end Rodney Williams, who had issues related to the heat on what was a humid day in Unity Township in which temperatures reached the mid-80s.
- Johnson provided an early scare when he grabbed his left knee and lied on the ground for several seconds after making a leaping catch along the sideline early during team drills. Johnson’s left foot landed and tore up some of the grass on Chuck Noll Field. But he eventually stood up and jogged gingerly back to the offensive huddle. He was back participating by the drill’s next rep.
- Punts were the special-teams drill du jour, with Pressley Harvin III and Braden Mann alternating boots from in or near the end zone. In the return line were Gunner Olszewski, Calvin Austin III, Alfonzo Graham and Jordan Byrd. The latter two are undrafted rookies.
- Thursday’s practice ended after about 90 minutes, a half hour earlier than was listed on the Steelers’ published practice schedule.
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