As they usually do, the Steelers made sure their top draft pick will open camp with the team by signing Rashard Mendenhall to a five-year contract Friday.
Now things get interesting. The Steelers have fielded questions about incumbent Willie Parker's health since taking Mendenhall with the 23rd overall pick in April's draft. Parker had his 2007 season cut short with a broken leg, and there already had been whispers about his workload after he carried 650 times the past two seasons.
From the start, Mendenhall has appeared set to be more than a change-up back, and how he is used in camp and in exhibition games could provide a glimpse both into what his role could be this season and how fully Parker actually has healed.
The Rooneys don't pay anyone $12.6 million, $7.125 of it guaranteed -- the value of Mendenhall's contract -- to stand on the sidelines and smile at fans waving Terrible Towels. So there's no question that Mendenhall will play. The question is if, or how quickly, he might supplant Parker as the team's feature back.
-- John Dudley