Don’t tell DL Cam Heyward he’s slowing down. Don’t say it to OG Isaac Seumalo either. Early into training camp with the pads popping, Heyward is showing he’s the same player before his 2023 injury-marred season.
“Cam is still Cam,” Seumalo told reporters Tuesday via a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette video. “Have nothing but respect for the guy. We go against each other a lot and it’s always iron on iron. Hopefully there’s a mutual respect because I think he’s a hell of a player and a future golden jacket guy.”
“Golden jacket” of course refers to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Not that Heyward is thinking about hanging up his cleats anytime soon, and based on Seumalo’s initial thoughts, his play isn’t warranting moving on with his life’s work.
Tuesday’s padded practice featured o-line/d-line 1v1 reps. A chance for Seumalo and Heyward to directly compete without any consideration for the play call or the group around them. Heyward used his bread and butter, power rushes, to attack Seumalo down the middle. Seumalo held on and stayed engaged but Heyward showed his strength and, more importantly, his explosiveness. From our play-by-play of their reps.
“3. DT Cam Heyward with a long-arm stab to OG Isaac Seumalo, who hangs on.
4. They go again. Heyward back to power and it has more success pushing Seumalo back.”
“He looks pretty good,” Seumalo said when asked if Heyward was taking time to round back into form.
Last year’s groin injury sapped Heyward’s ability to rush the passer. While his strength remained, his ability to generate power by firing off the ball and deriving it from his lower half was gone. After an offseason to heal from an additional surgery to compensate for playing through the pain, Heyward looks like his normal self to begin 2024. As Heyward’s noted before, strength can last longer than speed and athleticism, giving him the chance to be the rare interior defensive lineman to thrive in his mid-30s.
With Heyward and Seumalo getting Wednesday off and the team likely to be out of pads tomorrow, their next opportunity to battle again will come during Friday Night Lights. The marquee camp practice and often one of the most physical. Come September, Heyward will be in his home state of Georgia, out to prove he’s got plenty of gas left in the tank.
