Coming off an injury-riddled season that saw him miss six games and perform below his typical standard, standout Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is entering a pivotal 2024 season.
Heyward, who recently won the much-deserved Walter Payton Man of the Year, recently underwent surgery to clean up some additional things with his groin and should be good to go this offseason.
But for Steelers GM Omar Khan, the Steelers have to be smart about Heyward’s work this offseason in an effort to keep the 13-year veteran healthy.
“The reality is he’s gonna be 35 years old [in May], so we gotta be careful how we manage his reps,” Khan said to reporters Thursday from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “So we’re gonna be smart about it. He’s at that point where we have to be smart about how we bring him back. We’re not gonna rush it.
“He doesn’t need to learn the defense. I mean, he can probably teach it. We will be smart about it.”
Though the comments about his age and the point he’s at in his career might ruffle the feathers of Heyward, Khan was spot-on with his thoughts on the six-time Pro Bowler.
After dealing with a serious groin injury that occurred on the first day of training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe and then completely tearing his groin in the season-opener against the San Francisco 49ers, Heyward rushed back for the Steelers’ Week 9 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, turning a 12-week injury that required surgery into a six-week injury.
Once he was back, though he was effective against the run, he wasn’t his usual dominant self overall. That led to some struggles and caused him to go under the knife again earlier this month. But he wanted to be back with his teammates, he said in response to a Twitter account asking why he rushed back last season.
He’s going into the final year of his contract, which will have to be redone to lower his 2024 cap hit. Regardless of what happens with his contract this offseason, the Steelers will have to be smart with Heyward, limiting reps during training camp, the preseason and in practices throughout the season to ensure he remains as healthy as possible at his age.
