If the Pittsburgh Steelers conduct organized team activities, but the players are not together in performing any activities, did they really conduct the OTA’s?

It is not a question for a philosophy doctoral candidate, nor is it a dystopian future of virtual-reality football. Instead, it is the reality of the 2020 NFL. Concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic have led to a ban of teams gathering in person, but the offseason charges onward.

For the next three weeks, NFL coaches will turn to whatever video-messaging software they choose to work with players and begin the players’ preparations for a 2020 season that — for now — remains on course to be played.

That doesn’t mean some nuggets of useful information won’t emerge during the 10 virtual OTAs and three virtual mandatory minicamp sessions over the next four weeks. With that in mind, here are five things to watch for during Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 virtual OTAs that begin Tuesday:

The Steelers released a video Monday, courtesy of Roethlisberger’s https://t.co/HbcGoWEPXq website, that showed Roethlisberger recently throwing passes to teammates JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner and Ryan Switzer. https://t.co/4er7OmkghN

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1. Elbow room

Information about the condition of Ben Roethlisberger’s surgically repaired throwing elbow or the status of his rehabilitation and throwing program has been scant.

That changed, in part, last week by way of a 38-second video of Big Ben throwing to teammates on a local high school field. Odds are, one way or another, a greater peek into the condition of Roethlisberger’s elbow will emerge from OTAs.

Almost certainly, if Roethlisberger suffers a setback, word will leak. Seeing how it is only virtual football-in-shorts, expect continued positive reports surrounding the Steelers’ 38-year-old franchise quarterback. The fate of the 2020 season is at stake.

2. Rookies reviewed

Typically, OTAs are the first opportunity rookies get to show what they can do on a field against veteran NFL players.

While these OTAs won’t give anyone a chance to see Chase Claypool’s route-running against Joe Haden or if Alex Highsmith can beat Alejandro Villanueva around the edge, that doesn’t mean they can’t impress coaches and teammates by showing a grasp of the playbook.

Steelers determined to improve on last season's puny tight end production

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3. The ‘right’ end?

For the second consecutive time the Steelers signed a high-profile tight end in free agency, he won’t be on the field for OTAs.

Of course, this time, Eric Ebron joins all his other teammates in being absent. At this point in 2016, it was a recovery from ankle surgery that prevented Ladarius Green from taking part in drills. Green was limited to six games because of that ankle and, later, a concussion. He was released less than a year later.

Ebron, who got a $5 million bonus, also is coming off ankle surgery. Earlier this month, Ebron tweeted he was “running and cutting with no pain finally.” We will have to take his word for it. Establishing some degree of rapport with Roethlisberger, coordinator Randy Fichtner and the rest of the offense would be a nice goal for Ebron these next few weeks.

4. Young guns

It wasn’t obvious by how they performed, but Minkah Fitzpatrick and Devin Bush were, to some degree, operating on instinct in 2019. Fitzpatrick was on the short list of NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidates, and Bush was on the NFL’s All-Rookie team. The 23-year-old Fitzpatrick and soon-to-be-22 Bush are the centerpieces of what has the potential to be one of the NFL’s better defenses of the early 2020s.

Fitzpatrick, acquired in a September trade, never has had an offseason to fully absorb the Steelers’ system. Bush was a 20-year-old kid months removed from classes at Michigan when he took part in last year’s OTAs.

The sky is the proverbial limit for both with the benefit of more time learning the defense.

The two new faces on the #Steelers coaching staff - Matt Canada and Ike Hilliard - work with the skill positions on offense. https://t.co/octyxVSKoc

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5. Ike & Matt

Players immersing themselves into an organization is one thing. Members of the coaching staff being forced to do so under the constraints of a pandemic presents its own challenges.

The Steelers hired two members of their offensive coaching staff — Matt Canada (quarterbacks) and Ike Hilliard (wide receivers) — early in the offseason. They had a few weeks of working side-by-side with the rest of the staff. But for the past two-plus months, they have been working from home and unable to see the players in their position group.

During OTAs, Hilliard and Canada only can hope to find some normalcy in helping to develop the receivers and passers.

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