Steelers Camp Notebook: Skowronek-Queen Scuffle, McCarthy’s QB Signal and Iheanachor Injury Scare

Pittsburgh’s training camp had its first real dust-up on Thursday. Wide receiver Ben Skowronek got tangled up with linebackers Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson during an 11-on-11 period at Saint Vincent College, and it ended with Skowronek on the ground.

The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo posted about the incident on X: “First real skirmish of camp. Ben Skowronek throws an open-hand punch at the side of Patrick Queen’s helmet. Payton Wilson comes in and drags Skowronek to the ground.”

First real skirmish of camp. Ben Skowronek throws an open-hand punch at the side of Patrick Queen’s helmet. Payton Wilson comes in and drags Skowronek to the ground

— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) August 6, 2026

Behind the Steel Curtain, which had a reporter on the practice field, described the same scrum as Skowronek “getting into it” with both Wilson and Queen, and caught up with Skowronek afterward. “He just grabbed me from the back,” Skowronek said. “Grabbed my jersey. I was blocking PQ, we got into it… we’re just competitive.” According to Behind the Steel Curtain, it wasn’t the only camp scuffle Thursday — running back Lew Nichols and defensive back D’Shawn Jamison also had to be separated later in practice.

Punches and shoving matches are routine background noise at NFL camps in full pads, and nothing about Thursday’s dust-up appears to have changed how the Steelers view Skowronek’s roster chances.

WR Ben Skowronek a Key Part of Steelers’ Plans

Skowronek isn’t just fighting for a receiver spot — he’s fighting to keep a role he’s already carved out. He caught only four passes last season but earned Pro Bowl recognition for his special teams work, and he’s heading into his sixth NFL season with that reputation as a safety net.

He’s also settled in enough with Pittsburgh’s new coaching staff to joke about the reunion of head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay before parting ways. “They’re like an old couple that got divorced, and then they realized maybe they’re right for each other all along,” Skowronek told Yahoo Sports. “So it’s been fun kind of seeing that connection, that rekindled love for each other.”

The receiver depth chart in front of him is stacked. DK Metcalf and newcomer Michael Pittman Jr. headline the group, with Roman Wilson holding the No. 3 job and rookie Germie Bernard also working with the starters. Skowronek and rookie Kaden Wetjen are among those competing to lock down second-team reps behind them.

Pittman is finding out that Rodgers’ reputation for demanding precision isn’t hype. Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, relayed by marca.com, Pittman admitted the adjustment has humbled him. “You gotta prove it every single year,” Pittman said. “I’m definitely not comfortable because I gotta learn a new playbook. (And) I gotta learn all of Aaron’s signs and signals and everything. I thought that I knew football. And then I met Aaron. And I realized I had a lot more football to learn. You study whether you’re a seven-year vet or a rook.”

The idea, according to multiple camp reports, is that Rodgers tends to raise the level of whoever lines up across from him — a pattern DK Metcalf experienced in his first season with the quarterback.

McCarthy Tips His Hand on the QB2 Battle

Backup quarterback has been Pittsburgh’s most-discussed subplot all summer, with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar competing behind Rodgers. McCarthy elevated Rudolph to the No. 2 spot to open camp, and this week he offered a glowing review of the veteran’s arm.

“He throws the ball better than I thought…. He’s been impressive,” McCarthy said, according to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, cited by ClutchPoints. The comments came after the Steelers released their first official depth chart of the season, which listed Rudolph as the backup ahead of Howard and Allar.

McCarthy has also been managing Rodgers’ workload deliberately. Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reported that Rodgers, who turns 43 this season, will get roughly 40-50% of first-team reps and is being kept on a rep count early in camp, with Rudolph next in line — though McCarthy later clarified the second- and third-team reps would be spread more evenly across Rudolph, Howard and Allar.

Nothing here is official confirmation of a locked-in QB2. It’s a coach’s public praise and a depth chart that can shift before the preseason opener, but it’s the clearest signal yet that Rudolph has the early edge.

First-Round Tackle Max Iheanachor Exits With Injury

The one genuinely worrying moment from Thursday’s practice came on the offensive line. Rookie right tackle Max Iheanachor, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick out of Arizona State, left practice early after Steelers medical staff examined his upper body. Reports from the scene, including from Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora, described trainers working on the area around his neck and right shoulder before he walked to the locker room under his own power.

The Steelers have not issued an official diagnosis, and the severity remains unconfirmed. Head coach McCarthy said before Thursday’s session that there was no “real” concern about injured players generally, though that comment predated Iheanachor’s injury and cornerback Brandin Echols’ ankle injury, both of which came later in the same practice, according to ClutchPoints.

Iheanachor, the 21st overall pick, had been pushing incumbent Dylan Cook for the starting right tackle job through the first week of camp. If he’s forced to miss time, Broderick Jones and Jack Driscoll are next in line to soak up reps at tackle. Pittsburgh’s first preseason game is scheduled for Aug. 13, and Iheanachor’s availability for it is currently unclear.