The Pittsburgh Steelers will have multiple position battles to watch during training camp when it begins next week, but two in particular have caught the eye of an NFL analyst.
According to CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin, the Steelers' competitions at linebacker and quarterback are two of the hottest training camp battles to watch throughout the entire league.
At linebacker, Benjamin lists Patrick Queen, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Payton Wilson as the participants. Here's what he wrote on that:
Queen got top dollar to leave the rival Baltimore Ravens, so he's locked into a full-time gig at the heart of Mike Tomlin's defense. Still, there's room for a rotation of sidekicks, as Roberts fared decently well in 17 starts in 2023, and Wilson enters the league with highly esteemed instincts and physicality.
At quarterback, Benjamin is, of course, keeping an eye on the situation between the team's two new quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Easily the most intriguing quarterback battle of the summer, this one may not be as close as initially expected, with Wilson's savvy veteran touch appearing to make him a firm favorite for Mike Tomlin's perpetual wild-card contender. Still, Fields' athletic gifts could make themselves more apparent in the preseason.
Considering the free-agent deal he got this offseason, Queen is locked into a major role in 2024, so it's a bit surprising he would even be mentioned here. However, who gets the majority of snaps next to him remains to be seen.
Holcomb and Roberts both started for the Steelers last season, and both were solid. But the former suffered a torn ACL that ended his campaign early after eight games and his status for Week 1 remains uncertain.
Because of their experience, both should be considered favorites over Wilson, who was drafted in the third round in April. But if Holcomb isn't ready to go by the start of the season, Wilson will see plenty of work early on. He is likely to still take a backseat to Roberts in that scenario, though.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has already made it clear that Russell Wilson is the starter entering training camp, but he did leave the door slightly ajar for Fields.
"We've been very transparent about the pecking order, at least to start," Tomlin told reporters at the NFL's league meetings. "I just think that provides clarity for all parties involved. Russell is a veteran, man. He's got a proven process of readiness. He's been in this league a long time. He's capable of rallying troops, receivers, tight ends, running backs, etc. He's just got a lot of experience in terms of what it takes to be the guy over the course of a 12-month calendar and I just think that that's something that a younger guy like Justin could learn from."
"It provides clarity for all parties involved as they do some of the informal things that collectors do this time of year, whether it's coming together to work out and destinations and things of that nature," Tomlin added. "Rest assured when it's time to compete, Justin will be given an opportunity to compete, and we'll allow those guys to sort themselves out."
Even if things hold through the preseason and Wilson is the starter Week 1, his spot is anything but guaranteed if he struggles.
