Heritage and tradition are subjects that come up a lot around this time of year for the Pittsburgh Steelers when you have the mingling of the young rookies and newcomers with the long-time veterans. Head coach Mike Tomlin likes to point out that while it’s been that way for years in Pittsburgh for the veterans to pass on their wisdom and show the rookies the ropes, it’s one that the Steelers continually cultivate.
It helps to have ambassadors of the brand like Cameron Heyward, who understands this better than everyone. It’s one of the reasons that he has been a team captain for many years running by now. He’s taken rookie second-round defensive lineman Keeanu Benton under his wing this offseason, working out with him during the downtime ahead of training camp.
“That was also a plus in mind when I heard I was getting drafted here is that he’s a guy who’s been here for a long time, he knows what he’s doing”, Benton said of coming to Pittsburgh with Heyward, via the team’s website. “Kind of just following him around throughout the offseason, working out with him for a couple weeks making sure I’m ready for coming out here, and it paid off. I’m physically ready conditioning-wise”.
“That was a plus getting to work out with Cam and then coming out here having that energy to take those extra reps and do those extra things”, he added.
Elsewhere, he has talked about how the transition from college to the NFL up to this point hasn’t been incredibly difficult, perhaps not as much as he set himself for in his head. Part of that is having played in a pro-style college system, as well as being drafted into a similar one.
But I’m sure a weeks-long crash course on how to get ready for a season from a guy who ends every season with a Pro Bowl honor surely can’t hurt. Heyward understands that Benton was brought here to be a part of the Steelers’ long-term future, long after he himself is retired. He’s doing his part to help give him a running start.
While comments on the rookie lineman had been quiet for most of the offseason, that changed once the pads came on and he was more free to make plays. That tends to happen in the trenches when you’re limited in what you are able to do in a practice setting that isn’t full contact.
But all he’s been doing up to this point is banging up against other Steelers. We still need to see him inside a stadium, which will finally happen on Friday. I would imagine the rookie will get an extended look in the first preseason game, with Heyward watching in street clothes from the sideline.
Pittsburgh expects Benton to be versatile enough to play up and down the line. They already have Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi locked in as starters, so the easiest path to playing time is at nose tackle where he should rotate in regularly, particularly in sub-packages.
