Steelers May Finally Have The Perfect Strategy To Manage Cam Heyward's Workload

The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting close to the end with legendary defensive tackle Cam Heyward. Now 37, Heyward might be nearing retirement in the coming years. While he is signed through the 2027 season, the age itself could take him out of the game. In order to keep him healthy, which he has done extremely well playing every game in four of the last five seasons, Pittsburgh has needed to prepare depth and production to supplement him when he does slow down and eventually retire.

The Steelers have built a very deep room behind him over the last few years, drafting key players in Derrick Harmon and Keeanu Benton with high picks. Both have been very productive complements to what Heyward brings to the field. Working together, they have held down the middle of the defensive line well, but looking ahead towards the future, not signing Benton long-term will open a major hole on the defensive line if Heyward retires and Benton walks.

While the future is its own discussion, looking towards this season, the preparation has been surrounding the limitation of Heyward on the field. The unknown about his status for the last few years has played a role in these recent draft picks, and it has created a scheme to limit his play on the field to keep him as healthy as possible.

Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo broke down this situation recently, giving some insight on how newly hired defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will play the defensive line. 

"The Steelers have been planning for some time for Heyward’s retirement by drafting defensive linemen in each of the past six years, including Keeanu Benton (second round in 2023) and Derrick Harmon (first round in 2025)," Fittipaldo wrote. "Heyward has outplayed them all, and this season, he’ll attempt to do it in a new scheme and under a new coaching staff. Early indications are defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will rotate his linemen more than former coach Mike Tomlin did."

So according to Fittipaldo, it looks like Graham is doing something a little different from Mike Tomlin on the defensive line, rotating them in and out of plays more often. This strategy does a little more than just limit the snaps that Heyward gets, it keeps everyone more fresh. While that may be sacrificing critical moments for the stars of this defense in Heyward and perhaps Harmon, this plan should give these players a higher likelihood of staying healthy throughout the season and being more effective when on the field.

Doing this should also increase the snaps of guys like Yahya Black. Looking back on the idea of Heyward's inevitable retirement, getting more snaps for Black and others will help develop guys to fill in the void that will open up when Heyward is finished. There are pros and cons to limiting Heyward's snaps this season, especially when looking at the bigger picture down the road, but it will be a strategy fans will see firsthand. 

In other terms of developing the players, Benton still has a lot of work to do in the run game if he really wants to be worth a big-time contract. He's got the pass rushing abilities to be a star up the middle, but he also needs to be more effective in the run game. More snaps should help him in that regard too. 

Steelers' Defensive Line Plan Is Helping Build For The Post-Cam Heyward Era

Building a defense without Heyward will be difficult for this organization as he's been an anchor for this team since 2011. He has continued to stay productive even at an old age, yet there may not be many more years left. Graham's apparent strategy will limit his production, yet should give the young guys a chance to develop for when the Steelers are officially without Heyward. With a very young group behind Heyward, this is a big opportunity for them to prove themselves and keep this unit strong for the future.

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