UNITY TWP., Pa. —With it being the dog days of training camp, practices have got chipper at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, but there hasn't been an all-out fight yet.
It hasn't crossed the line, and that's just how Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy likes it. He has no issue with players getting after it, however.
"I'll be more concerned if we didn't have that," McCarthy said of the chippiness at practice. "That's a part of football. It's a part of the game. It better be a part of your training camp."
The first scrap of practice broke out on Tuesday between Sebastian Joseph-Day and Troy Fautanu . Thursday featured a bunch more.
Patrick Queen and Ben Skowronek got into it over what Skowronek perceived to be a late hit from Queen. Then Payton Wilson and Skowronek were jawing. Lew Nichols face-planted D'Shawn Jamison after a pass-block rep. DeShon Elliott blasted DK Metcalf with a ferocious hit, and then immediately apologized. The same thing happened when Asante Samuel slung Pat Freiermuth to the ground.
"We're getting into the dog days of camp," Wilson said. "People are tired, people are sore, we're just competing. We love each other, brothers fight all the time.So if someone messes up, we get into it a little bit, then we'll be in here eating lunch in 30 minutes together."
Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said the defense was doing a ton of trash talking during Friday's "red zone smackdown" drill.
"I'm not sure if they talk more. I think every defense talks trash, but we don't have two of our biggest trash talkers practicing right now in Jalen and Joey Porter Jr. so if they think there's a lot of trash talk now, then wait until those two get back," Pittman explained.
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day at training camp on Aug. 1, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Joseph-Day made his presence felt at Tuesday's practice, as the veteran defensive lineman got infuriated with offensive tackle Troy Fautanu during a one-on-one pass rush drill. Joseph-Day was going up against guard Mason McCormick , but Fautanu, who was lined up at left tackle, got in the way.
"Did I try to start something today? Yeah, you know, I think I was about to win the rush, and then Troy didn't get out [of] the way," Joseph-Day said. "Troy helped his buddy like O-linemen do. You know, they stay in the way. It's a one-on-one pass rush, so after the ball is snapped, you're supposed to get out of the way. And Troy happened to stay in a tad bit second late when I went inside; I bumped into him on a pass rush. So yeah, I got a little annoyed. He did that twice in a row. He did that yesterday, too."
Joseph-Day ended up on the ground at the end of the rep, and he came up yelling, getting in Fautanu's face. Fautanu said he was trying to "read the room" to see if Joseph-Day was really all that fired up. But it didn't take long for him to cool off, even though it was the hottest day of practice so far.
"I was pretty annoyed," Joseph-Day said. "But, you know, I'm a little bit older now. A little bit wiser. I've been around the block. I know I got to conserve my energy for something I think greater."
Joseph-Day thinks it's a good thing when players get annoyed with each other at camp.
"Hell yeah, it means we're making each other better," he said. "And shout out to Troy and shout out to Mace. They're very talented young players, and I see why they're starting [in] Year 3. I see why. They do a really good job, and they play really sound. And they do what o-linemen do: help each other out. But they do a really good job. Shout out to them."
Alan Saunders provided reporting from St. Vincent College.
The post McCarthy Embraces Chippy Training Camp Practices: 'It's a Part of the Game' appeared first on Steelers Now .
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