Kicker Chris Boswell maintained midway through OTAs he was "hitting the ball really well."
Special teams coordinator Danny Smith punctuated the opening of mandatory veteran minicamp today by concurring.
"I agree with that, I really do," Smith insisted this afternoon. "Obviously, we need an improvement there. He's been very good in the OTAs. He's been very good and it's gotta carry into the team setting. We put him in team settings and he's responded. We know what he's capable of, that's a positive.
"We have to get back to what he was capable of and what he showed us and that's where we're headed and that's what he's done so far."
Boswell made 35 of 38 field goal attempts (92.1 percent) in 2017.
Last season he was only able to convert 13 of 20 (65 percent) and also missed five extra points before winding up on the reserve/injured list for the Steelers' regular-season finale against Cincinnati.
Adjustments have been made, but Boswell didn't want to discuss those during OTAs.
That was a decision with which Smith, likewise, agreed.
The Steelers participate in Day 1 of the 2019 minicamp at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex

Ben Roethlisberger

James Conner

Eli Rogers

Ulysees Gilbert III

Joshua Dobbs

Maurkice Pouncey

David DeCastro

Trevor Wood

Bud Dupree

Fred Johnson

Diontae Spencer

Joe Haden

JuJu Smith-Schuster

Kameron Canaday

Artie Burns

Zach Banner

Malik Williams

Ryan Switzer

Zach Gentry

Mike Tomlin

Trey Edmunds

Trey Edmunds

Garrett Brumfield and Derwin Gray

Donte Moncrief

Benny Snell Jr.

Johnny Holton

JuJu Smith-Schuster

James Conner

Cameron Sutton and Herb Waters

Roosevelt Nix

JuJu Smith-Schuster

Ramon Foster

Donte Moncrief

David DeCastro

Dravon Askew-Henry

Tevin Jones

Diontae Johnson

Donte Moncrief

Derwin Gray

Justin Layne

Benny Snell Jr.

JuJu Smith-Schuster

Malik Williams

Vince Williams

Ryan Switzer

Ralph Webb

Matthew Wright and Ian Berryman

Steelers players practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during the 2019 Minicamp.

Joshua Dobbs

James Conner

Stephon Tuitt

Isaiah Buggs and Javon Hargrave

Devlin Hodges

Steelers players practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during the 2019 Minicamp.

Steelers players practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during the 2019 Minicamp.

Herb Waters, Joe Haden, and Terrell Edmunds

Sean Davis

Mark Barron

Anthony Chickillo

J.T. Jones and Ola Adeniyi

Steven Nelson and Terrell Edmunds

James Conner

Kameron Kelly

Tyler Matakevich

Steelers players practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during the 2019 Minicamp.

Steven Nelson and Terrell Edmunds

Mason Rudolph

Tevin Jones

Devlin Hodges

Joe Haden

Benny Snell Jr.

Marcelis Branch

Steven Nelson

Steelers players practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during the 2019 Minicamp.

Steelers players practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during the 2019 Minicamp.

James Conner

James Washington

Anthony Chickillo

Head Coach Mike Tomlin

JuJu Smith-Schuster

Marcus Allen

JuJu Smith-Schuster

Steelers players practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during the 2019 Minicamp.

Cameron Sutton

JuJu Smith-Schuster

Dravon Askew-Henry

Chris Boswell and Jordan Berry

P.J. Locke
"It ain't really out there for the public what he and I discuss, or 'I saw this step,' or 'this foot,' or 'this swing,' or this and that. It obviously was off, and it wasn't acceptable. We've made corrections and we've worked hard at it together and I've seen a great deal of improvement.
"I'm in the mindset he's gotta be the guy we had two years ago, and right now it looks like that's what we got. We'll see when we get into the team settings."
Smith is of the opinion the answer to the Boswell question will reveal itself eventually, and that it will be obvious.
"You'll know it as well as I'll know it," Smith maintained to a small cluster of media following the first practice of minicamp. "We'll see that together. When we get in those critical situations, you ain't gonna have to ask me. You're gonna know and I'm gonna know. He hits that game-winner like he did, he hits that long one like he did, he's banging balls, you ain't gonna come looking for me.
"But once that son of a (gun) goes wide right and we're off that field, 19-17, on the wrong end, you come looking for me. We're gonna see that together. We'll find out real quick."
Smith considers a bounce-back season for Boswell as conceivable as it is necessary.
"If there's a bounce back it happens quick," Smith said. "Guys have had bad years, that's in all sports. You take a Pirate, you take a Penguin, you take a Steeler, everybody has had bad years and yeah, they're quite capable of bouncing back.
"We'll see that soon. If he's gonna bounce back, he's gonna make it. It ain't gonna be 50-50. It ain't gonna be part time. He's either back or he ain't, and we'll handle that appropriately.
"The key is to put him in those situations. The key is for him to get in a game and hit those game-winners like he's capable and he's done. He looks very good and I'm very pleased at where he's at today, but today we ain't winning games. We'll see when we get in that game setting and, like I say, you'll see it just as soon as I'll see it."