The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of decisions to make as roster cutdowns are fast approaching. But one position where things are pretty straightforward is the tight end spot. The Steelers are going to keep Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith and Darnell Washington on this roster.
But could they keep four tight ends because of the lack of quality options at wide receiver? And would that mean fan “favorite” Connor Heyward is with the Steelers for another year? That’s what insider Ray Fittipaldo thinks is going to happen.
“Connor Heyward is the player fans love to cut the most, but he’s on this roster, too,” Fittipaldo said Monday on the North Shore Drive podcast. “Special teams, and I don’t know that we saw it in the preseason games… He actually gets targeted quite a bit by Aaron Rodgers and the other quarterbacks. It seems like they’re gonna have a role for him on this football team. There’s a trust factor there.”
Heyward has not been a major component of the Steelers’ offense through his first three seasons with the team. He caught 41 passes for 358 yards and two touchdowns. Fittipaldo isn’t suggesting he’s going to suddenly change that. Especially since the Steelers have Freiermuth and Smith at the top of the depth chart.
But Connor Heyward has already left an impression on QB Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers praised Heyward for his intelligence, saying that he “does the right thing every time.” Quarterbacks love dependable players, and Rodgers seems to think Heyward is one of those players. That will go a long way, along with Heyward’s special teams experience, toward keeping him on the 53-man roster in 2025.
Will Steelers fans like that? Probably not. But as Fittipaldo said, Connor Heyward saw a lot of targets in training camp. When our very own Alex Kozora graded the tight ends based on training camp performance, he gave Heyward a B+. Kozora had Heyward down for 23 catches on 26 targets for 185 yards and a touchdown. He actually led the tight end group in receptions over the summer practice period.
And we know that Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith wants to utilize his tight ends frequently in the passing game. There will be plenty of times where there are two or even three tight ends on the field at the same time. That will guarantee Heyward snaps throughout the season.
So, while Steelers fans might be unhappy if Connor Heyward is on the Steelers’ roster come Week 1, they should not be surprised.
