It took six days, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have had their first skirmish of training camp.
The skirmish was a byproduct of linebacker Elandon Roberts’ shove of quarterback Justin Fields at the end of a read option play during Wednesday’s practice. Several offensive linemen took exception to the shove, thus leading to a shoving match between the offense and defense.
While tempers were hot at that moment, it didn’t take long for things to cool off. Players on both sides were seen shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries just moments later.
While often looked at in a negative light, camp skirmishes aren’t usually a bad thing. In the case of the Steelers, Wednesday’s skirmish appeared to be the byproduct of the offensive line wanting to protect their quarterback, which says something about how Fields has already endeared himself to the group.
Pittsburgh’s line is trying to keep Fields healthy with Russell Wilson continuing to miss significant portions of practice with a calf injury. Fields had another solid outing Wednesday as Wilson continues to work his way back into the swing of things.