Let's take a day off

Not.

The Steelers will be off tomorrow, but we'll keep on trucking through this training camp.

I saw some good things on the field today. Sammie Coates suffered a couple of drops - along with Darrius Heyward-Bey - when the QBs were throwing warm-up passes.

But Coates made up for the drops with a big catch in the back of the end zone during seven-on-sevens. He went up to catch a ball from Tyler Murphy and Alden Darby gave him a big shove. But Coates contorted his body to get both feet down before landing out of bounds.

That was an NFL play.

Coates has to show more consistency but he's getting extra looks.

He's getting that work because Eli Rogers - who had been getting work as the No. 3 receiver with Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant out - went down with a sprained foot.

C.J. Goodwin moved up to No. 3 and Rogers going down is a big opportunity for him.

The Steelers have moved Goodwin, a 6-2ish receiver with great leaping ability, into the slot recently to see if he can handle those duties. He's also gotten some work as a kick returner.

Rogers, who is almost strictly a slot guy, is still likely No. 6 in the grouping behind Antonio Brown, Wheaton, Bryant, Heyward-Bey and Coates, but if he's out an extended period, Goodwin could make his move, especially if he proves to be more versatile.

@ Senquez Golson is not scheduled for any surgery yet on his shoulder. But things are trending that way.

The Steelers will decide sometime next week whether the rookie corner needs surgery.

Yes, the trade for Brandon Boykin shows the team is preparing for life without Golson. But it hasn't been decided just yet.

@ I'm not quite sure where people are coming up with the idea that Boykin is a journeyman cornerback.

First, he spent his first three seasons all with the same team, never playing less than 50 percent of the snaps. Second, he finished second in the NFL in interceptions in 2013 with six. Finally, Profootballfocus - the site that some like to use as the be-all end-all of measuring football players - had him rated as the 21st best cornerback in the NFL last season.

Now, everyone knows how I feel about PFF's judgment on certain positions. But CB play is one thing that you can judge watching it on TV better than some other positions. And Boykin allowed a QB rating of 77.2 on pass attempts his way last season.

That hardly makes him a journeyman.

Boykin, by the way, seems to be picking things up pretty quickly.

@ The defense showed up in a strong way in the seven shots drill, keeping the offense out of the end zone on six of seven plays.

Now, Ben Roethlisberger didn't practice, so that has to be factored in.

But, for example, on the first play, Landry Jones threw a nice pass to Le'Veon Bell on a little wheel route that Bell had in his hands until Will Allen came in and knocked it out.

@ The defense also held up well today on the live running drills.

On the one passing play, Heath Miller did catch a long pass down the seam - beating the cover-2 coverage when the safety had to walk to the line of scrimmage when the running back motioned out - but Cortez Allen hit him hard at the end of a 50-yard play and appeared to knock the ball loose at the end of the catch-and-run.