Steelers slot receiver Eli Rogers could be in line for big season
PITTSBURGH 鈥� A good 10 minutes after every other Steelers veteran had walked off the field following practice this week, a familiar voice bellowed from the doors that lead to the Steelers locker room.
鈥淓li! Eli!,鈥� Mike Tomlin shouted.
Like Pavlov鈥檚 whistle, Eli Rogers dutifully obliged, quickly trotting 55 yards across the field to meet with his head coach. This, of course, was in stark contrast to a similar scene two years ago when Tomlin publicly reprimanded the then rookie wide receiver for leaving the field early.
Consider it a lesson learned.
These days, there鈥檚 no way that Tomlin 鈥� or anyone else 鈥� could pull Rogers off a football field.
Coming off his first NFL season, the now 24-year-old reports that he is in the best condition of his fledgling career. The foot injury that shelved him the entire 2015 season is now a distant memory. After recording a respectable 48 catches for 594 yards and three TDs last season, Rogers says the game has slowed down for him and sees no reason why he can鈥檛 improve upon those numbers.
鈥淟ast year I played off of skill really, my prior knowledge to the game,鈥� Rogers said Wednesday after the ninth of 10 OTAs on the South Side. 鈥淚 have that experience now and experience is everything. So this year, I鈥檓 really excited to get back out there and put my experience on display and my new set of skills.鈥�
Though he doesn鈥檛 have the size of JuJu Smith-Schuster, who has drawn comparisons to Anquan Boldin, experience is one thing that Rogers has over the Steelers鈥� much-hyped second-round pick. Both players, along with Demarcus Ayers, are competing for the starting slot receiver position.
鈥淚 proved myself last year and I鈥檒l continue to prove myself this year,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not out here competing with anyone. I鈥檓 competing with myself.
鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to get better every day within myself. We鈥檒l see how that plays out. We鈥檒l see what the coaches think.鈥�
That new set of skills that Rogers alludes to includes an increased attention to detail. Already exceptional in coming out of his breaks, Rogers 鈥� or Smith-Schuster 鈥� could figure prominently in an offense that, if healthy, should rank among the NFL鈥檚 best in 2017.
During OTAs, Rogers has worked in the slot on the first team with Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant on the outside. With the deep threat Bryant back in the fold, and defenses having to respect Brown, a three-time All-Pro, that should open up the middle for the slot receiver to make plays underneath in coordinator Todd Haley鈥檚 offense. The possibilities are boundless.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited to see how it鈥檒l play out,鈥� Rogers said. 鈥淚 have a couple visions in mind that I鈥檝e seen. I鈥檓 just excited to see what it鈥檚 going to look like with all of us on the field.鈥�