The Pittsburgh Steelers have two training camp practices in the books, both of which were non-padded practices, but there is no reason to assume some early takeaways can’t take place. While most would warn all video/reports coming out of Saint Vincent College should be taken with a grain of salt, there are certainly early trends which take shape.

The early takeaway out of camp has certainly been the Steelers’ dynamic duo at outside linebacker. Alex Highsmith, who just signed a new 4-year contract extension, has looked explosive and dynamic at every turn.

While the majority of Steelers fans watched the below videos and got excited about an explosive offense, just watch the pass rush on these plays. In other words, if this was a real game against real competition, these plays would have resulted in strip sacks or quarterback hits.

Watch Highsmith abuse Dan Moore Jr. on this rep:

Not only has Kenny’s patience in the pocket been severely more noticeable he has been MUCH more mobile this camp here a 45 yard run to the house. pic.twitter.com/RfV2FzFwBl

— Baku 🐧 (@Mazursky8895) July 28, 2023

It’s Highsmith again on this play. You can see him look as if he’s coming down with the “chop” to dislodge the ball, but wisely knows better and backs off.

Order your tickets now because that A-Rob and Kenny chemistry is already in full commence first the red zone TD and now a 60 yard TD to the HOUSE!!!! pic.twitter.com/DIb3q7y05A

— Baku 🐧 (@Mazursky8895) July 28, 2023

Outside of these two reps, the Steelers pass rushers have been noticeable in camp in the early stages. T.J. Watt is, well, T.J. Watt, and Alex Highsmith looks every bit the type of player who is capable of being the perfect compliment to Watt on the opposite side.

I should add T.J. Watt to this, but he's well, T.J. Watt. So naturally he just dominates. https://t.co/G5Oa6iEMj3

— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) July 28, 2023

As fans glean over reports from Latrobe, one bright spot has been the early returns on 4th Round pick Nick Herbig. The former Wisconsin product has shown he has a skill set which might not be ready for every down responsibilities, but could be used in specific packages in the defense. Even in his rookie season.

This from Nick Farabaugh of Steelers Now:

One thing sticks out about Nick Herbig — when the Steelers do down and distance drills, they throw him out there at edge on third downs in sub-packages. That could be a role for him in Y1. Those situations are where he's shined the most in the first two days.

— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) July 28, 2023

They say the defense is always ahead of the proverbial curve in the early portions of training camp, and this would ring true for the above scenarios. However, even in this small sample size, it is good to see the Steelers could be on their way back to having their pass rushers wreak havoc on the opposition in 2023.