Pittsburgh Steelers DL Cam Heyward has been on Injured Reserve since suffering an injury late in the first quarter of the team’s Week One loss to the San Francisco 49ers. He was at the team’s facility on Thursday and met with the media, addressing questions about what he’s seen as well as when he might be returning from IR. Per Amanda Godsey of the Tribune-Democrat, Heyward is adamant that he will not miss the entire season.
“Cam Heyward didn’t have much of an update on his injury status,” Godsey posted on X/Twitter. “But when asked if he can say with certainty that he’ll return this year, he said ‘Yes.'”
That has to be a sign of hope for fans who have watched Pittsburgh’s run defense struggle through four weeks. Opponents are averaging 4.7 yards a carry against the Steelers while averaging almost 125 yards a game on the ground. Heyward spoke about his frustration of watching his teammates battle and struggle while he has been sitting on the sideline recuperating.
“It’s frustrating enough not being able to play,” Heyward said, per Godsey. “Looking at it, it’s not like my guys aren’t trying. There’s little things we just gotta clean up. Hands, eyes, your key, how we step to a block. All these things are going to change the way we control the line of scrimmage.”
Despite the development of rookie DL Keeanu Benton, there’s no question that Pittsburgh would love to have a healthy Heyward back in the middle of the line. After all, Heyward has 614 total tackles, 115 tackles for a loss, 177 quarterback hits, 78.5 sacks, 46 passes defended, eight forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, and even two interceptions in his 12-plus seasons in the league.
Heck, Heyward had 10.5 sacks, 74 total tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 23 quarterback hits, four passes defended, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 2022, his 12th season in the league. It’s not like he was slowing down with age.
However, it does not appear that Heyward is sure of when he will be making his return to the football field other than it will be sometime during the 2023 season. The season is not lost at 2-2, but the team’s postseason hopes are dwindling in fans’ minds due to the two losses being blowouts at the hands of the 49ers in Week One and just this past weekend to the Houston Texans.
So a healthy Heyward cannot come fast enough for fans and the Steelers alike.
