Steelers Now
UNITY TWP., Pa. — The Pittsburgh Steelers had their first practice of training camp 2025 at St. Vincent College on Thursday, and head coach Mike Tomlin got what he was looking for.
While the Steelers can’t practice in pads until the second week of camp, that doesn’t mean that Tomlin can’t make them uncomfortable. After changing the team’s routine to include morning practices in 2024, Tomlin moved the team back to the afternoons for 2025.
He wants his players practicing in the heat of the day, and they did that on Thursday, with multiple players having to leave the field temporarily for heat-related issues.
“Love practice at 1:55 pm, man,” Tomlin said. “The heat helped us. There’s no question that heat helps physical development, individually and collectively. … I think everybody that’s a real competitor appreciates it, because they realize you can’t run from it. You got to run to it. When you have a good mindset, it’s an asset to you when you get in hot environments.”
For returning veterans that have experienced previous Tomlin camps, the change probably wasn’t significant. But it was eye-opening for a newcomer like Aaron Rodgers.
“Mike wants to practice at the hottest time of the day, which is interesting, but I love it just because it’s a stressor,” Rodgers said. “We see how guys respond to adversity.”
On Wednesday, both Mike Tomlin and Jalen Ramsey were asked what Ramsey’s role will be with the team in 2025. Both played it coy, with Ramsey saying he’s going to play football and Tomlin calling him and the rest of the team’s defensive backs position-less “coverage people.”
But one way or another, on Thursday’s first practice of training camp, the game would be up and Ramsey’s position would be revealed. But that didn’t stop him from dragging it out as long as possible.
The Steelers defensive backs were working as one large group on the second field at the start of training camp on Thursday. Then coach Gerald Alexander split the group. Safeties were working with him, while cornerbacks and slots went with assistant Anthony Midget.
Ramsey watched one group go one way, the other the other way, and was left standing alone in the middle of the field, before finally committing to joining the safeties, where he practiced Cover 2 drops.
New #Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey is working with the safeties with the DB groups split on day one. pic.twitter.com/F78uX5pwI9
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) July 24, 2025
When the team periods started, the Steelers were in base defense and Ramsey played safety. When the Nickel package came in, he moved to the slot. In certain man-to-man looks, he also slid outside.
Tomlin said to expect him to line up all over.
“Get your cameras ready,” he said. “You’re going to see him in a lot of places.”
We’ll see which part of the field he picks on Friday.
GET IT OUT OF THE WAY...
