Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers veterans closed their spring practice session on Wednesday, with their second of two minicamp practices at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
The team is eschewing a third practice during minicamp on Thursday, swapping it for a team-building trip to Kennywood instead. While the Steelers have one more week of OTAs next week, most of the team’s veterans are expected to leave town after this week.
Aaron Rodgers sent the first-team offense home with a bang.
On the final play of the final team period for the first-team offense, Rodgers ended a two-minute drill with a monster big play, dropping back to heave a 70-yard deep ball over the entire Steelers defense, and into the arms of a streaking Roman Wilson.
“It’s just a beautiful ball,” Wilson said afterward to Steelers Now. “HE puts a lot of air under it. It’s different (to explain) because I’m not really watching it, I’m tracking it, so I just appreciate his placement of where he puts it.”
Steelers tight end Darnell Washington, who was running an underneath route on the play, had a perfect view as Rodgers dropped a bomb of the gold-clad defense.
“He’s still got it,” Washington said. “He ain’t lose a step yet. Just to see the arm talent — still there. Roman just opened up the deep ball, running down field like that. It for sure was crazy, just to see it.”
Wilson and Rodgers did not seem to have a natural connection last year, during Wilson’s first NFL action and Rodgers’ first season with the team. But lined up in the slot on Wednesday, Wilson blazed by safety Sebastian Castro, and Rodgers had no trouble finding him over the top of the defense.
“It feels great, that’s what I’m here for,” Wilson said.
“Once he gets his stride open, he’s pretty fast,” said Castro, who said was playing in Cover 3 and wasn’t sure if he could’ve gotten to the deep ball. Rodgers’ deep bombs are “nothing new,” to the second-year safety.
Castro shouldered the blame for giving up the big play.
“That one should be on me. I wanna see it on tape,” Castro said.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Aaron Rodgers, Roman Wilson Make Massive Connection to Close Steelers Minicamp
