Mike Tomlin gives strongest hint yet that rookie Kendrick Green has won center job

As he is wont to do, Mike Tomlin refused to fully tip his hand. But did the Pittsburgh Steelers coach on Tuesday tacitly confirm that Kendrick Green is his man at center this season?

A rookie third-round pick, Green has taken first-team reps at center almost exclusively when healthy through four weeks of training camp practices.

Tuesday’s practice, in some ways, is one of the most telling of any during camp because it is the annual session in which the Steelers do a “dress rehearsal” for a game as they would during the regular season. As the third preseason game of the year, Saturday’s matchup at home against the Detroit Lions is the game in which starters play the most.

And during Tuesday’s practice, Green took the first-team reps at center. Across the offense and defense, all healthy projected starters started at all other positions.

So, after practice, Tomlin was asked if that signified Green was indeed the starter.

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

For what it’s worth, Green remains listed as the second-team center on the official depth chart the team is required to release each week. Second-year lineman J.C. Hassenauer still is listed as the starter, but he rarely has run with the first team when Green has been available.

The No. 87 overall pick from Illinois, Green was named to the all-Big Ten team last season.

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