Steelers TE embracing 'football player' mentality in hopes of growing role

One of the biggest storylines of Steelers OTAs is the absence of defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, who is holding out as he seeks a contract extension.

However, there is some uncertainty around his younger brother, tight end Connor Heyward, as well.

He is part of a crowded tight end room with Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, MyCole Pruitt and Rodney Williams.

New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has typically kept four tight ends on the 53-man roster, so there could still be one odd man out at the end of the summer. Could that player be Heyward?

It seems unlikely, but the third-year tight end embraces a "football player" mentality to grow his role.

"I do my Indy with the tight ends, but I always look at myself as a football player," Connor Heyward said. "I'm just gonna do whatever the coaches tell me to do. ... The more, the merrier."

He played a hybrid-type role during his collegiate career at Michigan State and has dabbled in a similar role in Pittsburgh. Over the past two years, he has registered 35 catches for 318 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for 27 yards on three attempts.

Connor has primarily been a special teamer, and although he knows special teams are important, he says there's nothing like contributing on offense.

"It's hard to get hype for the game when you're not playing as much offense or defense because growing up, that's part of the game," Connor continued. "Special teams is fun, but you want to be out there for offense and defense."

Luckily for Connor, Smith's offense uses the tight end position more than the Steelers' previous offensive scheme under Matt Canada. He knows that comes with more pressure.

"Definitely excited seeing the tight end snap count go up, and all the personnel is extremely cool, but with that comes a lot of responsibility," he added.

Connor must focus on carving out a role in Pittsburgh's offense first, but if he does, he may be able to catch some teams by surprise in 2024.

"We're very versatile in our room alone," Connor concluded. "I think this year, we're gonna be able to untap a lot of potential."