The Pittsburgh Steelers once again suffered a significant defensive injury during Week 1 of the season. In 2022, it was T.J. Watt and his pectoral muscle. In 2023, it was defensive lineman Cameron Heyward. Heyward went down with a groin injury that he had to have surgically repaired. Now Heyward is talking about his injury and the stress of missing time from the team.
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Pittsburgh Steelers DT Cam Heyward
During the Steelers' Week 1 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, Heyward had one quarterback hit before getting hurt. Heyward is known for his durability and has not suffered a major injury since he had a torn pectoral muscle in 2016.
Like Head Coach Mike Tomlin said, Heyward cannot easily be replaced. It will take the efforts of multiple players to hopefully make up for his absence. It appears that Isaiahh Loudermilk, Keeanu Benton, and DeMarvin Leal will be expected to step up.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers veteran defensive linemen Cam Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi will be expected to not only carry the unit in 2023, but also be mentors to a young guy like Keeanu Benton.
While Heyward might not be able to do his "day job," he is still co-hosting his podcast Not Just Football With Cam Heyward. He and his co-host Hayden Walsh took the week after Heyward's injury off so he could recuperate from his surgery. But they returned with a recent episode to discuss the Steelers win over the Cleveland Browns and how Heyward is recovering.
Steelers' Cam Heyward Makes His Own Timelines
While there have been some bits of information trickling out about Heyward's injury, he had not spoken publicly about it until his show. He said he got injured early on a pass rush.
"I was doing a pass rush on the center and I was diving for the quarterback and landed on with my knees hitting first and then going out. In the play, you can tell I'm wincing. I knew something was wrong, I didn't feel right."
He wanted to be out there with his team so he tried to go back out. He said the pain was so excruciating all he could do was take a knee. It was during that next play, that Heyward recounted how he felt like he couldn't put the "breaks" on and then he knew he really couldn't play. Of course, San Francisco recognized it immediately and exploited his injury.
"The 49ers tried to sprint to the ball in the next play because you know they knew I couldn't do it. So I took a knee, I couldn't come off the field on my own."
Heyward said the medical staff told him he needed an MRI and since they could not do it at the facility, they allowed him to hang out on the sidelines. After the game, the MRI confirmed the suspicion of torn muscles and the need for surgery. Heyward is grateful that it is looking like weeks to recover instead of the whole season. He said he prefers to look at the bright side of things, after one day he was off crutches, able to drive, and attacking his rehabilitation.
"I can't rush the process, but I'm making sure I do everything possible to push this thing forward. I have family members who think I should be taking my sweet time, but I got work to do."
Walsh asked Heyward if he has a timeline for his return that he knows or is even allowed to share. Heyward said that he won't put a timeline on his return. He added that there are medical guidelines and milestones he needs to meet.
"There are timetables out there, but I'm not the regular person. Every injury I've been a part of, I've cleared earlier. It's not going to stop me from working. Timetables are for other people. I make my own."
Heyward said that not being able to be there with his teammates is the worst part. He is the captain of the whole team. Especially considering the Steelers have struggled in their first two games of the season. One of the things that was important to him was to at least be able to be on the sidelines. Heyward acts almost as an extra coach, helping to guide some of the younger guys. However, it almost did not happen during the Week 2 game.
"I got clearance from the doctors, but there were some other people who didn't want me on the sideline because they thought it was early - the head coach, the trainer, you name it, they didn't want me on the sideline."
So Heyward sat in the locker room and watched the game from there. He said he was not pleased with this and decided he was heading out on the field anyhow.
"I don't like the way the games are called. I'm not a big fan of hearing people talk about the game. They don't understand what is going on, it feels very all over the place. So I got pretty annoyed with that and you know I don't do well not being on the sideline in general. I'm not a happy camper when I'm on IR."
Heyward said being able to be on the sideline during part of the Week 2 game gave him a tremendous mental boost. He said now that he is cleared, he will be on the sideline until he is cleared to play. He is embracing his slightly different leadership role on the team. But he is incredibly eager to be back on the field and helping his team.
ABIGAIL DEAN | Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' DeMarvin Leal works on his pass rush moves in practice.
While there is no official timeline on when Heyward will return, it seems promising that he will return before the end of the season. Fans everywhere are keeping their fingers crossed for this to be the case, Heyward is one of the anchors of this defense, and his absence is definitely felt.
Are you at all surprised that Heyward is incredibly eager to return? How can the Steelers make up for the absence of Heyward on the defense? Click to comment below.
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