Inside the ropes: Fullback Jack Colletto gets featured role in short-yardage situations

On a day when the Pittsburgh Steelers practiced goal-line and short-yardage situations, it was a chance to get the fullback involved in the offensive game plan.

New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith likes using a fullback as well as multiple tight ends. Last year, when Smith was the head coach in Atlanta, the Falcons used a fullback on 16.5% of all offensive plays.

On Sunday, that meant a heavy dose of former undrafted free agent Jack Colletto, the only true fullback listed on the Steelers roster.

When Colletto was on the field, the offense also used a pair of tight ends for blocking purposes. At other times, three tight ends took the field and no fullback was used.

The penultimate team period featured the offense lined up at midfield facing a third-and-1 situation. Colletto took the field for the first snap, and Najee Harris powered for a first down. On the next snap, Jaylen Warren broke through the line and would have reached the end zone if not for a lunging ankle tackle by safety Damontae Kazee. Colletto also got a carry in the short-yardage drill but lost a yard.

The offense didn’t fare as well in the goal-line drill that ended practice. Warren came up short on the first play, which featured Colletto and tight ends Darnell Washington and MyCole Pruitt.

On the next snap, Colletto was targeted near the right pylon by a Justin Fields pass, but safety DeShon Elliott reached up and knocked away the ball.

On another snap, rookie interior offensive lineman Mason McCormick lined up outside of right tackle Broderick Jones as part of a Jumbo package. Harris scored on the run.

Quarterbacks Fields and Kyle Allen attempted play-action passes. Tight end/H-back Connor Heyward caught the Fields pass out of bounds. Allen was intercepted by rookie defensive back Ryan Watts in the middle of the end zone. Jaray Jenkins was the intended target.

Warren scored on a burst up the middle to bring practice to a close.

• For the second day in a row, the defense scored a 5-2 win in “seven shots.” Fields went 1 for 4, his lone touchdown coming on a fade to Van Jefferson in the left corner. On his other tries, Fields was “sacked,” Harris was stopped short on a run up the middle and a delayed handoff to Warren also came up short.

• Allen went 1 for 3 in the drill, the lone score coming on a La’Mical Perine run. Jonathan Ward was stopped for a loss, and an Allen fade for Jenkins sailed out of bounds.

• A 2-on-2 coverage drill was highlighted by Pat Freiermuth making a twisting catch with Elliott in coverage. Heyward also leaped and caught a pass with his back to the end line with Kazee in coverage. Heyward, though, was called for offensive pass interference by the officials overseeing practice.

• George Pickens burst through the middle after catching a slant from Fields, who also found Jefferson on a nice curl to the left sideline.

• Inside linebacker Mark Robinson got extended reps for a second day in a row with Patrick Queen not practicing. He recovered a snap that Allen couldn’t handle. Robinson, though, was beaten on a pass to Jefferson, and he slapped the grass in disgust as Jefferson continued down the field.

• Offensive and defensive linemen aren’t the only players forced to run a lap for being penalized on a pre-snap call. Harris, flanked to the left, was whistled for a false start. After pleading his case in vain, Harris took his lap around the field, although it featured more walking than running.