Steelers Training Camp Takeaways Day 12: George Pickens continues to prove he's an alien, defense banged up

Everyone around the league, but especially in Pittsburgh is holding their breath with the Brandon Aiyuk situation .

And while that can be distracting, it can't be forgotten that the Pittsburgh Steelers have a game against the Houston Texans on Friday.

So in preparation for the first preseason game of the year, Pittsburgh went fully padded ahead of what should be a walkthrough tomorrow and it produced some highlights:

George Pickens is an Alien

It's par for the course at this point of his tenure, but whenever Pickens makes grabs like that, all you can do is shake your head. Sure the ball was a little high from Fields, but the QB looked sharp once again on Wednesday, only adding to what has been a stellar set of practices for the past week plus.

Pickens would also find work with Russell Wilson, who despite still having yet to participate fully, was named the starter on the team's initial depth chart when it was released on Tuesday night.

Darnell Washington Continues to Shine

Washington was used sparingly, to say the least during his rookie campaign, catching only seven passes for over 60 yards. It's safe to say that even behind Pat Freiermuth, Washington will be allocated plenty of opportunities in Arthur Smith's TE-friendly offense.

6-7, 270+ pound humans that run 4.6 40-yard dashes and can catch don't grow on trees, and I'm sure Smith will look to learn from his time in Atlanta as HC.

Justin Fields' ball location gets better and better

One of the main concerns surrounding Fields has been his ability to consistently throw pinpoint passes, on time, and in rhythm. And while we probably don't see George Pickens' aforementioned catch if Fields just puts it on him, throws like this one to Austin have been commonplace for Fields over the past eight practices.

Injury Update

• EDGE Markus Golden in shorts and a cap (Kozora)
• DT Keeanu Benton was back in pads (Kozora)
• Veterans return from rest day (Watt, Heyward, Seumalo) (Kozora)
• DL DeMarvin Leal was seen with a sleeve on his leg (Kozora)
• EDGE Alex Highsmith not spotted after groin injury (Saunders)
• LB Patrick Queen returns to practice (Kozora)
• DB Grayland Arnold returns as a full participant (Kozora)
• LB Jeremiah Moon returns as a full participant (Kozora)
• DT Breiden Fehoko leaves practice with a brace on his Arm (Kozora)
• S DeShon Elliott was seen getting on a cart after a tackle, and returned later (93.7 The Fan, Farabaugh)
• CB Darius Rush was seen leaving the field favoring his right ankle-foot

Related: Pittsburgh Steelers prove that the QB battle may already be over following latest announcement