Cameron Heyward had limited participation during training camp and the preseason amid a renegotiation of his contract, but coach Mike Tomlin expects him to play in the Steelers' season opener against the New York Jets. Tomlin emphasized that managing Heyward's practice load in Latrobe is part of his role and expressed no reservations about Heyward's readiness. Rookie first-round defensive lineman Derrick Harmon suffered an MCL sprain in the preseason finale and will miss Week 1, though the team avoided placing him on short-term IR. Linebacker Nick Herbig is questionable with a hamstring issue. Heyward gave noncommittal responses about both playing and contract updates.
"I'm certainly expecting Cam to play," Tomlin said in his weekly news conference Tuesday. "Cam doesn't play a lot in team development over the last several years. My job is to get him in and out of Latrobe, and I've done my job. And so, there are no reservations about his participation or his readiness. I'm sure he's chopping at the bit."
Tomlin, however, added that the team won't have first-round defensive lineman Derrick Harmon available in Week 1 after the rookie sustained an MCL sprain against the Carolina Panthers in the preseason finale. Though the injury initially looked serious as Harmon was taken back to the locker room on a cart, it appears he avoided a worst-case scenario, and the Steelers elected not to place him on short-term IR.
While Tomlin was confident that Heyward would be on the field against the Jets, Heyward, who is set to enter his 15th season with the team, was less committal. Speaking on the Tuesday episode of his podcast "Not Just Football," Heyward said, "We'll see," when asked by co-host Hayden Walsh if the defensive captain would be on the field Week 1. Walsh also asked Heyward if there were any updates about the contract. "Nope," the 36-year-old said. "Nothing to talk about."
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