Pittsburgh Steelers: 6 Players Who Took Advantage of Their Opportunities in Camp

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Training camp is winding down for the Pittsburgh Steelers and we continue to inch closer to the regular season.

Every year, it is exciting to see all of the rookies and new guys come in and compete for spots on the Steelers’ roster.

There have been a lot of great camp battles, and here are six players who have taken advantage of their playing time in camp.

Drew Butler, P

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Drew Butler was a long shot at best to make the Steelers roster when we started camp, and now he may win the starting punter job by default.

Jeremy Kapinos had stepped in admirably for an oft-injured Daniel Sepulveda last season and the job was supposed to be his going into this year.

The only problem is that Kapinos has missed the entirety of camp with a back injury, and Butler has become more consistent as we have gone along.

Brandon Johnson, LB

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When the Steelers released veteran James Farrior this offseason, it was assumed they were clearing a path for Stevenson Sylvester to take over in the middle.

Sylvester has been fairly quiet in camp at both inside and outside linebacker, while Brandon Johnson has shown to be a solid backup on the inside and in coverage.

I have been rooting for Sylvester to step up and keep his job, however, Johnson could very well take his spot on the roster if things keep up the way they are.

Steve McLendon, NT

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Although Casey Hampton was recently taken off of the PUP list, there is no guarantee that he plays week one against Denver.

At this point, I don’t see how the Steelers would start Hampton over McLendon anyway with the camp that he just had.

McLendon has looked almost dominant in camp and is allowing draft pick Alameda Ta’amu to develop before being thrown into the starting lineup.

Keenan Lewis/Cortez Allen, CB

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I am cheating a little with this slide, but Keenan Lewis and Cortez Allen have both had very strong camps to this point.

Keenan Lewis put a ton of pressure on himself when he predicted a Pro Bowl season for himself, and he has done his part to win the starting job opposite Ike Taylor.

Cortez Allen is on his heels though, and if Lewis’ play starts to dip even a little bit, Allen could surpass him on the depth chart.

Baron Batch, RB

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Baron Batch was on track to make the 53-man roster last season before his injury and he has shown to be healthy in camp this year.

The Steelers have endured injuries to Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer in camp, and Batch got the majority of carries against the Eagles in the first preseason game.

Batch may not have racked up the yards during that game, however, he has been solid in camp and will be the Steelers third down back this year.

Chris Carter/Adrian Robinson, OLB

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I have been very high on Chris Carter since last season, and at this point, he is going to be the starting right outside linebacker with James Harrison and Jason Worilds injured.

Carter has shown a lot of improvement in camp this year, and I have him ahead of Worilds even when he is healthy enough to play.

With both Harrison and Worilds injured, it has opened a door for Adrian Robinson, and he has shown a good burst off the edge to rush the passer.