Aug 7, 2016 5 min read

LATROBE – Landry Jones finally feels like one of the guys.

It’s not that he wasn’t before. But in his previous three training camps with the Steelers, Jones always kind of felt like the younger neighborhood kid who stood down the street watching for cars while the bigger kids had all of the fun.

That changed last season when Jones was pressed into action after both Ben Roethlisberger and Michael Vick went down with injuries.

Suddenly, the kid was being asked to be a part of the game.

The difference has been evident in Jones’ demeanor at training camp at Saint Vincent College. He’s loose and joking with the other players. And his practice work has been much more consistent.

“I don’t know,” Jones said when asked if he’s now perceived differently by his teammates. “I think it’s more for yourself. For years, I didn’t play at all. It’s hard to feel a part of it, not in a sense of buying in or anything like that, but feeling like an actual part of the team. You’re a part but you’re on the outside looking in until you get in there and play. There’s just something about it.”

Jones played a lot in the preseason in his first three training camps, so much so that last summer head coach Mike Tomlin joked the young quarterback had set a record for preseason passes thrown.

But until Week 6 against Arizona last season, when Vick, who was starting in place of Roethlisberger, suffered a hamstring injury, Jones never appeared in a regular-season game.

Jones made the most of the opportunity. His second career pass was an 8-yard third-quarter TD throw to Martavis Bryant. He and Bryant later hooked up for an 88-yard touchdown as Jones went 8 of 12 for 168 yards in the Steelers’ victory.

He made his first career start the following week, throwing for 209 yards and a touchdown in a loss at Kansas City, and stepped in for an injured Roethlisberger in Week 8 against Oakland to complete 4 of 6 passes for 79 yards. That included a 57-yard pass to Antonio Brown to set up a game-winning field goal.

“You can’t put a number on it,” said Jones on how much playing successfully helped his confidence. “It’s just one those things that you don’t know what you don’t know until you’re in there. Regular season is just different from preseason. It matters more. You’re chasing the playoffs. Just getting regular-season action, it was just like, OK, you can step in there and you can play well.”

Vick wasn’t retained in the offseason and veteran Bruce Gradkowski was brought back after missing all of last season with shoulder and hand injuries. The fourth quarterback on the roster, Dustin Vaughan, has spent time on the practice squads of Dallas and Buffalo and isn’t a raw rookie, either.

But the No. 2 job appears to be Jones’ to lose, even if the Steelers aren’t ready to say so publicly.

“We’re just letting them compete,” said Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “You’ll see the order will change every day. One day it will be Bruce, one day it will be Landry. We’re really not trying to get too caught up in it right now.”

Haley likes what he’s seeing from the group. And with Roethlisberger now 34 year old and with a lengthy history of injuries – he’s played all 16 games in a season just three times – the backup position is an important one.

“I think it’s a very good competition and that’s what you’re looking for,” Haley said. “Bruce, you’ve got a veteran guy who obviously brings a lot of experience to the table. Landry is a real veteran now. He’s been around a while now and is having a really good camp. The young guy, Dustin is probably the best fourth guy we’ve had since I’ve been here. He’s got a good demeanor and a good understanding. He throws the ball and makes good decisions for the most part. I think it’s excellent.”

Jones likes the competition as well. He likes being pushed on a daily basis.

“It just helps the room out. The better the room is, the more we can learn from each other,” Jones said. “I would agree with Todd that this has been the best camp that we’ve had, especially with Dustin and Bruce, and Ben always does his thing. It’s great to go out there and watch each other and learn from each other.”

Spoken like a man who’s now comfortable in his own skin.

The Steelers were off Monday before returning to practice today in a joint practice with the Detroit Lions. Tuesday’s practice begins at 2:55 p.m. and is open to the public. The teams also will practice together Wednesday, with that session beginning at 5:15 p.m. … After Wednesday, the team will have just three days of practice remaining at Saint Vincent College, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of next week.