Three players to watch in Steelers' first preseason game

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for their first preseason action on Friday when they host the Houston Texans.

Head coach Mike Tomlin already ruled out seven veterans for the matchup, paving the way for several players to get their first chance to prove themselves.

With that in mind, here are three Steelers to watch.

Quarterback Justin Fields

One of the players Tomlin ruled out on Wednesday was quarterback Russell Wilson. That will allow Fields to get an extended look at the first-team offense.

The No. 11 overall pick in 2021 will only get " a couple series ," but he must take advantage of whatever reps he gets, just as he has throughout training camp while Wilson's been limited with a calf injury.

Tomlin reiterated on Tuesday that Wilson has the "pole position" in the quarterback competition.

"You guys saw our depth chart yesterday. That is real," he said .

But if Fields continues to stack good performances, he'll shorten the gap in the battle for QB1.

Wide receiver Van Jefferson

Rumors continue to swirl around the Steelers trading for 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Still, until a deal is made official, Jefferson gets the nod as the No. 2 option opposite George Pickens.

The 28-year-old is coming off arguably his worst season yet, in which he registered just 20 catches for 209 yards and zero touchdowns with the Rams (five games) and Falcons (12 games). He has since adopted former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown's regime of catching 300 balls after every practice.

Only time will tell if Jefferson's extra work will pay off and prevent Pittsburgh from adding a more established wide receiver, but he's ready to prove himself.

"I just gotta prove my consistency, just prove I can come out here and do this on a daily basis," Jefferson said . "At the end of the day, it's just coming out here and competing, doing the best that I can."

Cornerback Beanie Bishop

Bishop has been arguably the best story of Steelers training camp thus far. The undrafted rookie has quickly earned the respect of his coaches and teammates on his way to being named the starting nickel corner on the depth chart.

The 5-foot-10, 184-pound corner must prove he can hang with the NFL's best, which he'll get to do after head coach DeMeco Ryans said the Texans' first-team offense will play, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.

However, Bishop is ready to do just that, knowing he is far from guaranteed the Week 1 job without playing a down in the stadium yet.

"I have to come back tomorrow and prove myself again and do the same thing the next day," Bishop said . "I'm trying to take advantage of all the reps that I get. Every day, I'm coming to compete for a spot just like everyone else."

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.