The Pittsburgh Steelers opened the 21-day practice window for star defensive lineman Cam Heyward on Thursday before they face the Jacksonville Jaguars. The three-time All-Pro remains on the Injured Reserve list, so he won't be suiting up on Sunday against the Jaguars, but it's an important step in the road back to playing in stadiums for an integral part of the Steelers defense. With one of their leaders out, the team has managed to weather the storm, posting a 4-2 record with Heyward missing almost all of it.
Nhat V. Meyer / Bay Area News Group
Steelers' Cam Heyward (#97) tracks down 49ers' George Kittle (#85) in 2019.
Heyward played 14 snaps on defense and a pair on special teams against the San Francisco 49ers in Pittsburgh's season-opening 30-7 loss at Acrisure Stadium. He left the game with a groin injury that has landed him on the shelf for multiple weeks. ESPN's Brooke Pryor was the first to report the news that Pittsburgh was officially getting Heyward back on the practice field.
Steelers have opened the 21-day practice window for DT Cam Heyward, who’s been on IR since a Week 1 groin injury.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 26, 2023
Even though Heyward has been unable to help the team on the field since his injury, he has been a consistent presence on the sidelines at games and has been traveling with the team to away games. He even got to catch up with former teammate Troy Polamalu before the game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Heyward, who is 34 years old, has been relatively healthy since the 2016 season, playing a minimum of 15 games in each of those seasons. Heyward tore a pectoral muscle and missed seven games on injured reserve in 2016. He returned with a clean bill of health for the 2017 season and started a run of six seasons with consecutive Pro Bowl nominations that included three AP All-Pro nods.
Steelers Defense Could Really Use Heyward Back
The Steelers run defense has been a bit of a mess so far in 2023. They sit 28th in rushing yards allowed, and opposing offenses have averaged 4.7 yards per attempt, which is the sixth worst in the league. Now, getting Heyward back won't completely erase the issues for the team, but having him back should help. The six foot five, 295 pounder has been a stout run defender in his career and has been sorely missed in the middle of Pittsburgh's defense.
Peter Diana / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers' TJ Watt has been the leader of the defense without Cam Heyward and will be counted on to continue his brilliant play.
Montravius Adams has seen his usage skyrocket with Heyward's absence. The veteran nose tackle is in his third season with Pittsburgh after he was picked up on waivers back in 2021 from the New Orleans Saints. After playing 281 defensive snaps in all of 2022, Adams is already at 276 in six games in 2023. Larry Ogunjobi has helped to fill the void as well. His usage is similar to 2022, with just a slight increase so far, moving from 63% to 66%. He's already got a pair of sacks in 2023 after having 1.5 in 16 games in 2022.
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi struggled with injuries in 2022, but still managed to start 16 games.
Rookie Keeanu Benton has been the next most-used defensive lineman with 37% usage on defensive snaps. The second-round pick from Wisconsin has a forced fumble and a sack already through six games, along with four quarterback hits.
DeMarvin Leal and Armon Watts have played lesser roles on the defensive line, but have been part of the rotation to try and replace what Heyward does for this team. While no one can truly come in and replace the potential Hall of Fame defender, the Steelers have managed to use their rotation of guys to weather the storm enough to still be in the thick of a tough battle for a playoff spot in the AFC.
What do you think of Heyward officially being back at practice? How do you think the team has done without him? What's the biggest thing he'll provide when he gets back? Comment below!
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