Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush (Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Steelers are moving their Training Camp from Latrobe to Heinz Field.
As the NFL plans to return to action one viral coach video at a time, the Steelers are already taking precautions to ensure their players stay safe during Training Camp.
The Steelers will be following league-wide protocol heading into the 2020 season.
The Steelers typically hold their Camp in Latrobe, Penn., but will be moving the festivities to Heinz Field this offseason. Keeping players centered in one location ensures they won’t be exposed to an environment they aren’t familiar with and keeps any COVID-19 risk contained to Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.
St. Vincent’s College, which typically plays host to the Steelers with facilities and dorm-style sleeping arrangements, is not open to the public due to the pandemic. In moving their plans prematurely, the Steelers are getting ahead of things in another move displaying the leadership we’ve grown accustomed to from the Rooney family.
Steelers Training Camp will have a different feel in 2020
Such an audible isn’t preferred from the Steelers organization, which frequently flaunts their ability to draw fans out to Central PA.
By deciding now, the Steelers are giving players the ability to mentally prepare for such a change in scenery, as Pittsburgh offers some intriguing offseason storylines this Summer.
As Ben Roethlisberger enters his final seasons, the Steelers sense of urgency to compete right now has increased dramatically, hence trading their first-round pick for Minkah Fitzpatrick in the middle of this past league year.
The Steelers dramatically-improved defense should be able to keep up with Big Ben and the offense for the first time in years. Catching the Ravens, who went 14-2 last season, will be a taller task, but the added playoff spot in both the AFC and NFC this year gives the Steelers a greater opportunity to sneak in with a productive bounce-back campaign from their future Hall-of-Fame QB.
It all starts in Pittsburgh, rather than Latrobe, in 2020.