According to our very own Alex Kozora, Heyward went down injured with a possible lower left leg injury during the seven shots drill. The defensive tackle was able to get up and walk off the field under his own power before getting checked out by head trainer John Norwig. However, after getting his leg checked out by Norwig, Heyward walked around without a trainer under his own power and was later taken off the field on a cart. Shortly after, Heyward returned from the locker room and appeared to avoid a serious injury.
Now we know for sure that Heyward will be OK moving forward after he caught up with the media after practice to address the injury scare.
“Just got rolled up, just an O-lineman rolled on the back of my ankle, but I’ll be fine,” Heyward said after practice regarding his injury according to video via 93.7 Then Fan’s Josh Rowntree. “Yeah, a little sore, but it is what it is.”
Heyward indicates that he likely suffered a light ankle sprain after getting entangled with an offensive lineman during seven shots, a common occurrence in the midst of the scrum that can be the LOS. However, Heyward appears unwavered by the accident after they tested his ankle on the sideline.
“Yeah, we could tell with the test that I was doing the sideline, but they just wanted to make sure I was, a-okay and ready to go,” Heyward said regarding the relief he had once he knew the injury wasn’t that serious.
The Steelers can breathe a sigh of relief that their All-Pro defensive lineman avoided what could have been a serious injury Thursday afternoon, looking like he’ll miss hardly any time. Heyward may be held out of Saturday’s preseason game against the Jaguars as a precaution, but there’s no reason to believe at the moment that Week 1 of the regular season should be in any jeopardy.
