Brotherly love manifests itself in many different ways—not all of them readily apparent as affection from the outside, but if you have a brother, you probably know. It’s not often that shows up in professional settings, but it did for Pittsburgh Steelers DE Cameron Heyward in a practice late last season.
The Steelers drafted the 13-year veteran’s younger brother in April of last year, Connor playing on the opposite side of the ball as a tight end. Head coach Mike Tomlin did not seem to want to pit the two against each other throughout the offseason—and perhaps what happened when he finally did is why. Cameron recounts their lone rep against one another on his Not Just Football podcast:
Once we got to each other, it was like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna get a chance to go’. Connor’s trying to push me back and I can’t help but just start laughing because I’m like, ‘Oh man, this guy, he’s little’. I don’t really get to go against little tight ends like this.
I was laughing through the entire play and he still couldn’t move me. He was trying to use all positions and stuff and I’m like, ‘Bro, that doesn’t work on me’. It was a fun little moment. Mike T had to come to me and said, ‘Stop treating him like your brother and treat him like your teammate’. So next time I got after him and got off the block and didn’t even pay attention to him after that.
Cameron was describing a light Friday practice in which they were not going at full speed, granted, but he would not under any circumstances budge under the weight of his kid brother, on whom he has a five-inch height advantage in addition to a good 65-70 pounds. And a full decade.
But while he found it very amusing, it was also a point being made to Connor. In essence, this is what you’re going to face in the NFL. You may not be able to handle every assignment that is put in front of you. You’re going to have to figure out how to make the most of those reps.
Connor logged 174 offensive snaps during his rookie season along with 284 on special teams, recording nine tackles. As a skill player, he recorded 12 catches on 17 targets for 151 yards with one rather sentimental touchdown. He had two rushes for 27 yards, as well.
The kid brother has been moving all over the field so far this offseason. The Steelers have been giving him reps at fullback (or at least have the capacity to do so) as well as at running back in addition to his work with the tight end group. They expect him to wear these different hats and create a matchup problem for opposing defenses.
Cameron has had a pretty good career for himself as well. Over 12 seasons, he has recorded 614 tackles with 78.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, 46 passes defensed, and even a pair of interceptions. But he’s still looking for his first touchdown. Connor might want to remind him of that.
