Russell Wilson made his Pittsburgh Steelers training camp debut yesterday, including a highlight throw to third-year TE Connor Heyward. Described variously as a 25- or 35-yard connection by observers, Wilson managed to float the ball over defenders in a 7-on-7 drill, dropping it right into Heyward’s arms. Our Tim Rice managed to capture a moment from the play.
“Yeah, that was sweet. Connor made a big-time play, explosive play down the field”, Wilson said, via the team’s YouTube channel. “He had a great reaction [and I] was able to launch it down the field to him. He came up to me, ‘Thanks for throwing me the moon ball’. It was a good play by him. He did a great job”.
That’s the type of throw Russell Wilson has made a career out of, attacking down the field with touch. He did that for a decade in Seattle, and it made up some of his best moments in Denver. That’s what the Steelers want from him as well.
Wilson sees Connor Heyward as one target with whom he already has a connection. Heyward was a frequent participant in the Wilson-led offseason workouts, which the quarterback credited as contributing to their success now.
“We’ve spent a lot of time together—me, Connor [Heyward], the guys—OTAs, getting work before practice, after practice”, Wilson said. “All that time is time well spent and it shows up in a play like that. It was a really good job by him, and there’s a lot more”.
The Steelers wanted to upgrade the quarterback position this offseason and pounced when Russell Wilson hit the open market. That precipitated a domino effect of moves at the position, but they seem happy with where they are now.
As for Connor Heyward, he could see a pretty healthy role in Arthur Smith’s offense. He hopes to serve as many roles as they allow, aiming to increase his playing time. He logged over 400 snaps last season, partly due to Pat Freiermuth’s early injury, catching 23 passes. But he failed to find the end zone as he did as a rookie and gained just 167 yards.
Heyward will not have a featured receiving role in this offense, though, not behind Freiermuth and George Pickens. The Steelers have to figure out their pecking order at wide receiver, but they also have pass-catching running backs. And Russell Wilson and Arthur Smith both know how to spread the ball around when they run an offense.
It will be interesting to see how the Steelers employ Heyward this year, and what Russell Wilson has to do with it. If he likes throwing to Heyward, then they’re going to have to put him on the field. If he can serve in a fullback role, that will give him another avenue for playing time.
