Mike Tomlin provides strongest hint but that rookie Kendrick Environmentally friendly has received middle task

As he is wont to do, Mike Tomlin refused to totally tip his hand. But did the Pittsburgh Steelers mentor on Tuesday tacitly affirm that Kendrick Green is his man at centre this season?

A rookie 3rd-round pick, Green has taken first-group reps at center pretty much exclusively when healthy by way of 4 weeks of schooling camp methods.

Tuesday’s exercise, in some strategies, is a single of the most telling of any for the duration of camp simply because it is the once-a-year session in which the Steelers do a “dress rehearsal” for a sport as they would in the course of the frequent time. As the 3rd preseason match of the 12 months, Saturday’s matchup at dwelling towards the Detroit Lions is the activity in which starters participate in the most.

And in the course of Tuesday’s observe, Environmentally friendly took the initial-team reps at heart. Across the offense and protection, all healthy projected starters began at all other positions.

So, immediately after follow, Tomlin was questioned if that signified Green was certainly the starter.

“Ehhhhh, you can surmise that,” Tomlin stated with a sly smirk. “But there will be no bold announcements.”

For what it is well worth, Green continues to be stated as the next-crew center on the official depth chart the staff is essential to release every single 7 days. Second-12 months lineman J.C. Hassenauer continue to is listed as the starter, but he almost never has run with the initial workforce when Environmentally friendly has been available.

The No. 87 general pick from Illinois, Green was named to the all-Major 10 workforce previous season.

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Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review employees writer. You can contact Chris by e-mail at cadamski@triblive.com or by means of Twitter .