Top takeaways from Steelers 1st padded practice

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers put on the pads for the first time during training camp. The intensity was cranked up a notch and you could tell players were anxious to get some hits in. Here are our takeaways from the Wednesday practice.

Injury update

(AP Photo/Matt Durisko)

Safety Damontae Kazee missed practice on Wednesday but was no longer in the boot he had on after his ankle injury. No players were lost to injury on Wednesday which is good news after the first padded practice.

Referees on hand

The Steelers had the refs on the field for the first day of padded practice. All teams are doing this now and it's a great tool to help players with clarifications on rules and to keep players honest in drills.

George Pickens is a freak

George Pickens made the first of what will be many circus catches on Wednesday. Pickens is such a freakish athlete we can't want to see how much better he is this season. Pickens went up and pulled in a ridiculous catch over rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr., prompting a bit of a scrum between them.

Darnell Washington stonewalls T.J. Watt

It was the first day of backs-on-backers and the marquee matchup was edge T.J. Watt against rookie tight end Darnell Washington. Washington went two reps against Watt and won them both. But then Washington took a rep against edge Alex Highsmith and Highsmith beat him.

Connor Heyward shows off his versatility

It feels like the secret weapon on the Steelers offense this season might be Connor Heyward. Heyward moved from tight end to the backfield on Wednesday and Tomlin noted that this is what they want to see from him.

Minkah Fitzpatrick still not practicing

Head coach Mike Tomlin was secretive about the status of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who still isn't practicing. All Tomlin was willing to say is he has a timeline for his return he won't share and his absence has the support of Tomlin and is excused.