Cameron Heyward had only suffered one major injury in his career up until now. The veteran Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman was downed by a torn pec in 2016, and from that he came back better than ever, a dominant force since then.
It’s less certain what is to come from his sports hernia injury, which will put him under the knife. He is expected to return at some point this season, though nobody knows when, or in what condition. In the meantime, guys like Isaiahh Loudermilk know it’s their time to step up.
“As soon as I heard the news, it was kind of like, ‘Let’s make sure we lock in because now it’s time to show everyone the work I put in and show everyone the kind of player I am’”, he said recently, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “The spotlight is going to be me a lot more now with a guy like Cam going down”, he continued. “I feel confident and I’m ready to accept the challenge.”
Now in his third season since being drafted in the fifth round out of Wisconsin, Loudermilk believes that he is ready to have his best season by a long stretch. He played 31 snaps in the season opener on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, though he officially registered only one tackle. He had two batted passes.
After playing nearly 300 snaps during his rookie season in 2021, he took a significant step back last year for multiple reasons. For one thing, the Steelers had a legitimate replacement for Stephon Tuitt in the starting lineup last year, adding Larry Ogunjobi. A training camp injury combined with the drafting of DeMarvin Leal hurt his opportunities as well.
With that being said, it’s uncertain exactly how the coaching staff will parcel out these roles. Leal could be the starter in his second season now, and rookie Keeanu Benton’s role will probably expand on a weekly basis. It will take all of them, and perhaps others, to pitch in.
“I think it’s huge for the whole D-line, but especially for the young guys to try to step up and fill that hole as best we can”, Fittipaldo quotes him as saying. “That’s a tough one to try to fill. He’s an incredible player. It’s going to be on us to be able to step up and make sure we’re playing good”.
At least on paper, the Steelers are comfortable with the depth that they compiled this offseason. While Benton is the biggest prize, the 49th-overall pick out of Loudermilk’s Wisconsin, they also added Armon Watts and Breiden Fehoko, the latter on the practice squad, for further insulation.
And they have Leal and Loudermilk continuing to develop in their young careers, with now, frankly, being the time that they have to step up and prove themselves. It will be a tall task, but this is what they are here to do, so they had better find a way to get it done.
