Aug 4, 2016 4 min read

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The Steelers are into the dog days of training camp and some position battles are starting to heat up.

If you’re looking for a sleeper or two to keep an eye on as we move forward, there are definitely some guys on this team worth watching. Here are some comments on some players we didn’t know a lot about coming into camp.

• Third-year running back Daryl Richardson continues to impress, breaking off a strong run seemingly every day when the team is in live 11-on-11 run drills.

That’s a live tackling drill, so when a back gets 10 or 20 yards, it’s a legit 10 or 20. And Richardson, who has spent time with the Rams, Jets, Texans and Browns just might find another home in Pittsburgh.

He’s got 690 career yards on 167 carries – all with the Rams – so there’s a track record there. If Le’Veon Bell is forced to sit the first few weeks of the season, the Steelers could keep an extra running back around.

And right now, Richardson, the brother of former Ravens running back Bernard Pierce, might be in a better position than holdover Fitzgerald Toussaint.

• First-year linebacker Mike Reilly of head coach Mike Tomlin’s alma mater of William & Mary also continues to flash in the one-on-one pass rushing drills. He seems a natural pass rusher, but this team is pretty set at that position, so he might have a tough time cracking the 53, especially with Anthony Chickillo looking like a lock as a fifth outside linebacker.

• Tyler Matakevich had a nice leaping interception of Landry Jones today toward the end of practice and has continued to look like a natural run stuffer. His route to the 53-man roster will have to come on special teams, however. So what he does in the preseason games will be huge at another stacked position.

• Speaking of Jones, I talked to offensive coordinator Todd Haley today and he said the QB competition behind Ben Roethlisberger is wide open.

Veteran Bruce Gradkowski, however, looks like he’s lost a little something on his fastball. He was never a strong-armed quarterback to begin with, so that’s troubling. Remember, Gradkowski missed all of last season with shoulder and hand issues.

Jones has looked much more comfortable this season, even in his interactions with the other players. You can just see that he’s so much more confident after getting his first true playing time in 2015.

And Haley told me that young Dustin Vaughan is the best No. 4 quarterback the Steelers have had since he’s been here. He like Vaughan’s arm strength and the fact he doesn’t look lost all the time like some young QBs.

All of that could mean Gradkowski’s spot on this team is not a given.

• With Artie Burns missing time again today with his quad issue, Doran Grant was given some opportunties to run with the 1s when William Gay was held out – presumably on purpose to take a look at Grant.

Maybe he earned that by picking off a Ben Roethlisberger pass in the end zone when he undercut Sammie Coates in a one-on-one drill, making a nice play on the ball.

Regardless, Grant made a nice break on a sideline pass to break up the ball intended for Darrius Heyward-Bey. Of course, that was one play after he was beaten deep by Antonio Brown, who did an excellent job of screening off Grant with his body to catch the slightly underthrown pass.

Brown is just a master in all phases of the game.

• Devaunte Sigler, a rookie out of Jacksonville State, is making up for lost time after sitting out the first few days of practice because he wasn’t in tip-top condition.

He looks explosive in one-on-one drills and I now know why the Steelers were patient with the 6-3 290-pounder when he wasn’t ready to go.

• Keep an eye on first-year offensive tackle Brian Mihalik if you come to practice or when the Steelers start playing preseason games.

At 6-9, 302 pounds, he’ll be hard to miss. But his story is very similar to that of Alejandro Villanueva in that he was with the Eagles last season as a defensive lineman before being released.

Mihalik was a defensive lineman at Boston College, so this offensive line stuff is still new to him, but he’s got good feet and is athletic.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Steelers limit how much they show him in the preseason in an effort to sneak him onto the practice squad when it’s all said and done.