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Almost three weeks in and with the finish line well within sight, is pent-up aggression bursting at the seams at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp? Sunday’s penultimate practice was viewed by many as the most physical yet of the 13 staged so far at Saint Vincent College. Wearing full pads, the workout lasted more than two hours and featured spirited individual work and some high-paced team periods. Running offensive plays were drilled, always an opportunity for the smacking of shoulder pads and resulting heightened trash talk. It wasn’t until the final waning moments of Sunday’s practice that the proverbial heat got turned up to a fever pitch on Chuck Noll Field. Things started when Elandon Roberts delivered a heavy shoulder to rookie receiver Levi Wentz after a reception in a red-zone 11-on-11 rep. Wentz slammed into the ground. Though he bounced up quickly, the offense began jawing with Roberts, a bruising inside linebacker who re-joined the Steelers last week but had been a popular teammate during the 2023-2024 seasons. Starting guard Mason McCormick in particular took joy in ribbing Roberts, repeatedly yelling while standing with dozens of other offensive players lined up behind the play. “C’mon, E-Rob! … Be a good teammate, E-Rob! … He (Roberts) just got here! He just got here! … Good job, Fresh Legs! … Fresh Legs over here!” McCormick and Roberts knew each other well and were friends two seasons ago, before Roberts spent 2025 with the Las Vegas Raiders. McCormick’s ribbing, while incited by a hard hit on a fellow offensive player, was more based in jest. But when Roberts two snaps later made a rough “thud” tackle in the backfield on Jaylen Warren, Roberts took a victory skip along the line of offensive players. Things still all appeared to be in good fun… but the fuse, apparently, was lit. Moments later, rookie safety Robert Spears-Jennings flattened receiver Max Hurleman with a hit that featured some helmet contact. Rookie tight end Lance Mason rushed over to Hurleman’s defense, getting in the face of Spears-Jennings. By the time an annoyed Hurleman stood up, other players got involved. The gathering gradually grew – and the tempers increasingly flared. At least a couple dozen players engaged in varying degrees of pushing, shoving and yelling at each other. The tensions were hottest between tight end Jaheim Bell and veteran safety DeShon Elliott, who exchanged both vulgar verbal jabs as well as physical contact. After things settled down, practice ended. (x) As Mike McCarthy hinted at prior to practice, there was some shuffling along the offensive line. Brock Hoffman and Broderick Jones were at times playing with the first-team offense in team drills – Hoffman so at at least two different positions. Ultimately, though, for the competitive team periods at the end of practice the starting offensive line was what it has been since the spring: Dylan Cook, Spencer Anderson, Zach Frazier, McCormick and Troy Fautanu (right to left). (x) Kaleb Johnson’s tumble down the depth chart seems increasingly solidified by the day. In addition to co-starters Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, on a daily basis Travis Homer and Lew Nichols also take reps ahead of Johnson. Last year’s third-round pick, Johnson has been regularly on the second field with Nichols on the first field when McCarthy breaks up units into dual 11-on-11 reps. (x) Sundy was the eighth and final “install” day for the Steelers. Offensively, a focus seems to be on the run game. One eyebrow-raising package on display featured three men in the backfield behind a quarterback under center – Riley Nowakowski and Robert Tonyan in three-point stances side by side in front of deep tailback Nichols. (x) Roman Wilson was the star wide receiver of the day, early on catching a pass 40 yards downfield from Aaron Rodgers – beating the coverage of Doneiko Slaughter – and running with it an extra 20 yards for a touchdown in 11-on-11 play. Wilson later made a nice over the middle catch that gained 16 yards on a mock third-and-15. (x) Worth noting from who was taking some first-team reps – though, keep in mind the attrition at their respective positions – were safety Rayshawn Jenkins and receiver Hurleman. (x) T.J. Watt made a couple of splash plays. Early in practice he had such a clean lane on after winning a passrush rep that he had his hands up purportedly to bat down a Rodgers pass attempt – but Watt’s superior hands and hand-eye coordination ever-so-closely almost resulted in what would have been a highlight-reel interception. Late in practice during a red-zone period, Watt forced a fumble by Warren. Elliott recovered it to seal the rep “win” for the defense. (x) Wentz made a fine one-handed catch late in 11-on-11 play during practice.