Jul 28, 2023 5 min read

Thursday was an interesting day in the NFL and one that was a critical reminder that most of the news that comes out of training camp practices is bad.

First came news out of Miami that cornerback Patrick Ramsey left practice on a cart following a collision with wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Around an hour later, similar news made social media erupt when Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow was carted off after pulling up lame while rolling out to throw a pass and needed to leave practice on a cart.

Just like that, two of the NFL’s best players at their respective positions were going to be missing time.

For Ramsey, it looks like he’ll be out 6 to 8 weeks after reportedly suffering a torn meniscus. For Burrow, the news is seemingly better – at least right now. He reportedly suffered a strained calf muscle.

As every NFL team reported to camp in the past week or so – the Steelers were the final team to report – this is the kind of news that coaches dread.

That was why Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was all smiles Wednesday afternoon when he learned that not a single player would begin camp at Saint Vincent College on the Physically Unable to Perform List.

At least, for now, everyone is in good health.

That will surely change at some point. It’s the cost of doing business in the NFL, where it’s not a question of if injuries will happen, but when.

The Steelers did an outstanding job of fortifying their depth at a number of positions this offseason. They’re deep on both sides of the line. They have multiple options in the secondary. They have three quarterbacks with some level of starting experience.

But you can’t be deep everywhere, so inside linebacker depth, for example, remains a concern. Free-agent signing Cole Holcomb just began practicing Thursday after undergoing foot surgery last year. At this point, Holcomb is the team’s best prospect as a three-down linebacker. And there might not be another on the roster capable of being an every-down linebacker.

But the Steelers are bullish on the team they’ve put together.

“We had a vision after last season,” general manager Omar Khan said. “Coach, Art (Rooney II), myself, we got together and we put together a plan of what we wanted – we had a vision of what we wanted the roster to look like this year and how we were going to win football games. I can say every week in this league brings a different challenge. … Sometimes we’re going to hopefully win scoring. You might win scoring 12 points. Sometimes you might need to score 40 points. I’m confident we can win either way.”

Whether that is reality or not remains to be seen. But the one thing that can derail the plans of Tomlin, Khan and Rooney, the team’s president, would be injuries.

They’re going to happen once the team starts playing games. That is inevitable. But teams can’t afford for them to happen when they’re only practicing.

• The Steelers are back at training camp, but the first few practices are really extensions of OTAs. Because of heat acclimation rules in the NFL’s CBA, they can’t put the pads on until Tuesday.

That’s when things will get really interesting.

Because the process is really just beginning, Tomlin said to not to put too much emphasis on who is where and working with which unit.

“Don’t look too much into what groups people are running with at this juncture, you’re going to lead yourself down a bad path,” he said.

The Steelers have several new players, particularly on defense. The coaching staff is trying to figure out how the puzzle will fit together.

That will begin to take shape when the pads go on next week.

• Scout Mark Gorscak said when he retired after more than 30 years with the Steelers earlier this year that he would have some other part-time opportunities he might pursue to keep himself busy.

Earlier this week, we learned what one of those would be when he accepted a position to scout college players for the Senior Bowl.

The Ringgold High School graduate will be on the staff of the Senior Bowl, helping decide to which players the prestigious all-star game will offer invitations.

Gorscak, who has scouted the country at one point or another, is a perfect choice for that position.

• The Washington County World Series team improved its record in tournament play to 14-2 last weekend by winning a 15-U tournament in Belle Vernon, invoking the 10-run rule in two of its four games, including the championship.

The team still has some tuneup games to play before the Pony League World Series kicks off Aug. 11, but the host team has represented itself well in tournament play, winning every tournament it has played.