Steelers' Secret Weapon Could Give Aaron Rodgers A Familiar Type Of Target

The Pittsburgh Steelers spent August asking whether one late-round rookie could do enough different things to justify a roster spot. That question has already been answered. Now comes the more interesting one: after keeping him, is Mike McCarthy willing to make all of that versatility matter on offense, or will it mostly live on special teams and in the margins of the playbook?

That player is Eli Heidenreich, Pittsburgh's seventh-round pick out of Navy and the winner of the No. 3 running back job behind Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. The Steelers kept Heidenreich on their initial 53-man roster after a strong finish to the preseason, but Mike DeFabo believes simply surviving cutdown should be the beginning of the conversation rather than the end.

During a recent discussion, DeFabo wondered how aggressively McCarthy will use a player whose college résumé looks much more like a hybrid offensive weapon than a traditional depth running back, particularly with Aaron Rodgers under center.

“The real question I have from here is how far is Mike McCarthy willing to open up his playbook to make Eli an important piece or a piece of this offense? You know, Aaron Rodgers, as we saw with Kenny Gainwell last year, loves to throw the ball to his running backs out of the backfield, and Eli Heidenreich is a guy that can catch the football. He’s kind of a hybrid type of player,” DeFabo said.

The Gainwell comparison gives the idea substance. Kenneth Gainwell was not merely a checkdown option for Rodgers in 2025. He led Pittsburgh with 73 receptions on 85 targets, finished second on the club with 486 receiving yards and was voted team MVP. The backfield became one of Rodgers' easiest ways to keep the offense on schedule when defenses took away cleaner throws farther downfield.

Heidenreich obviously is not Gainwell simply because both can catch. Gainwell entered last season with four years of NFL experience and a much more established understanding of pass protection, route adjustments and the details that determine whether Rodgers trusts a target after the snap. Heidenreich is a rookie who spent training camp fighting just to stay in the building.

What makes the comparison intriguing is the skill set Pittsburgh has available to experiment with. Heidenreich finished his final season at Navy with 51 catches for 941 yards while also rushing 77 times for 499 yards. The Steelers listed him as a running back/wide receiver when he arrived, then kept him primarily in the running back room while still giving him receiving work throughout the offseason. He did not reach the NFL by being easy to label.

His final preseason audition showed another side. Heidenreich carried nine times for 35 yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills, added 47 yards on two kickoff returns and made a tackle on special teams. None of those numbers screams featured offensive player. Together, they explain why a seventh-round pick became difficult to expose to waivers.

Pittsburgh already rewarded that versatility when Heidenreich made the initial 53-man roster. Keeping him active on Sundays will require the same argument to continue. A third running back who can cover kicks, return them and handle emergency offensive work is useful. One who can also detach from the formation and force a linebacker or safety to account for him as a receiver becomes much more interesting.

McCarthy has spent his first offseason in Pittsburgh emphasizing players who can handle multiple jobs, and Heidenreich might be the cleanest example. He can align in the backfield without advertising a traditional run look, motion outside, work from the slot or become a receiving option against linebackers. Even a small package can create information for Rodgers before the snap.

That does not mean the Steelers should turn Week 1 into an Eli Heidenreich laboratory. Warren and Dowdle remain the top backs, and both have earned larger offensive responsibilities. Heidenreich's first job will still be proving that the things which helped him make the roster translate when regular-season speed replaces preseason experimentation.

The receiving element is what could eventually separate him from an ordinary No. 3. Rodgers has spent two decades punishing defenses that give him an easy completion and building trust with players who understand where to appear when the original picture changes. Heidenreich's background gives McCarthy something unusual to develop rather than another back whose role begins and ends with spelling a starter.

Steelers Could Turn A Roster Surprise Into A Secret Weapon

Heidenreich's summer already produced a good story. The Mount Lebanon product returned home as the final pick in Pittsburgh's draft class, entered camp buried on the depth chart and played his way onto the roster anyway. It would be easy for the Steelers to bank that victory, use him heavily on special teams and let the offensive portion develop slowly. DeFabo's question is more interesting because it asks whether McCarthy should resist that temptation.

Pittsburgh lost the player who caught more passes from Rodgers than anyone else on the roster last season when Gainwell departed in free agency. Warren and Dowdle can both contribute as receivers, so there is no requirement for Heidenreich to inherit that production. There is, however, an opening for a creative coach to steal some of the same easy throws with a player whose football identity is built around refusing to stay in one positional box.

Heidenreich needed all of his versatility to make the Steelers' roster. The next test is whether McCarthy decides it is too useful to leave on the sideline.

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