Steelers Camp Takeaways: Jaylen Warren, James Pierre Fight for MVP

Two players might have made their case for the Pittsburgh Steelers roster.

LATROBE, PA -- The Pittsburgh Steelers made a last-minute adjustment to move practice ahead a few hours in order to avoid the rain. 

Well, Mike Tomlin is pretty good at his job, and that includes knowing when to get off the field. As the team was walking up the hill signing autographs from fans, the rain came - and as all rain seem to be at Saint Vincent College, it came fast. 

Before the weather, though, the Steelers completed a full practice and showed a lot. The quarterback rotation went Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. On both sides of the ball, plays were made. Enough to get the blood flowing on a Tuesday morning after making an unexpectedly early drive to Latrobe. 

Here's what we saw. 

Jaylen Warren, Run of the Day

Jaylen Warren is going to get a real opportunity to make the Steelers roster in the next few weeks. The undrafted rookie has become a camp star, and he continued that work as he builds first-team reps. 

Warren had the run of the day as he exploded up the middle, cut to the open field, cut back to break a tackle from James Pierre and then dragged four more defenders for five extra yards. 

The preseason is huge for the Oklahoma State product. Right now, though, he's a the top of everyone's list of players to watch. 

Derrek Tuszka Replaces Alex Highsmith

Alex Highsmith left yesterday's practice with a rib injury and was unable to practice today. Replacing him was Derrek Tuszka, who ran with T.J. Watt on the first team. 

Genard Avery was not present at practice either, leaving the Steelers with limited options at outside linebacker. But Tuszka taking reps with the ones means the team still believes he's a capable backup to Watt and Highsmith, and might be in line to make the team over Tuzar Skipper. 

Buddy Johnson, Mark Robinson Prove Worthy LB2 Group

With Marcus Allen missing time with a hamstring injury, Buddy Johnson and Mark Robinson have manned the second-team inside linebacker rotation. So far, both have impressed, which is good news for the rookie and the second-year defender - but mostly good news for the Steelers. 

Johnson didn't do much during the opening two weeks of training camp, but has found a new spark with Robinson working next to him. Robinson has been a thumper since hitting the field, which mixes well with Johnson's athleticism. 

Today, Johnson found the runner in the backfield, making the hit with Robinson coming from behind and laying the hammer. 

The play had fans excited. These two are something to look forward to in the preseason. 

James Pierre Impressing Lately

Since Cam Sutton's injury forced James Pierre into the starting role last week, he's done nothing but impress. Now, he's back with the twos since Sutton and Levi Wallace returned, but he hasn't slowed down. 

Pierre was in on a number of plays, but his highlight was an interception on Kenny Pickett. 

Pierre dragged his feet on the turf as he dove out of bounds, securing a pass intended for the receiver. With coaches standing in front of him, the entire defense went nuts. 

Pierre fell off last season, and truthfully, had little expectations coming into training camp. But he's shined in recent days, and might have a shot to put himself back into the mix at cornerback. 

Maybe It's Not Mason Rudolph's Fault

Mason Rudolph has dropped at least three snaps and nearly fumbled a few more during training camp. He's working with the second and third teams, so these things happen more often. Still, it's never promising to see a veteran drop a snap.

But it's not Rudolph. Nate Gilliam has operated as the third-string center and has struggled. Today, he hit a low point, literally rolling a football back to Rudolph on a shotgun snap. 

The fumbles are now excused - for the most part. 

Kenny Pickett Keeps Throwing Picks

Kenny Pickett has thrown more interceptions than any other quarterback at training camp, but that's somewhat expected from a rookie. Working with the second team, he added two more to his total, one being the pick by James Pierre and the other off a tipped pass that ended up in the hands of Chris Steele. 

He always seems to respond without hesitation, which is a good thing. Still, a complete day is needed by the rookie before we can start talking about him overlapping Mitch Trubisky. 

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