Tomlin thinks Heyward will be 'chomping at the bit' to play in the opener despite 'hold in'
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin isn't worried about All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward's “hold in” being a factor when the Pittsburgh Steelers open the season on Sunday at the New York Jets.
Heyward is seeking a reworked deal coming off one of the best seasons of his 14-year career. The seven-time Pro Bowler held himself out of the vast majority of 11-on-11 work during training camp, though Tomlin hardly seems concerned.
Tomlin pointed out that Heyward's participation in fully padded practices has been limited in recent summers due in part to Heyward's experience and Tomlin's desire to keep the now 36-year-old healthy as possible while prepping for a 17-game season.
“My job is to get him in and out of (training camp healthy) and I’ve done my job,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “I’m sure he’s chomping at the bit.”
Heyward said last month he was “open” to sitting out regular-season games in search of a raise. Heyward, who was elected a defensive captain for the 11th consecutive year by his teammates on Monday, said at the time that it was "hard for me after the year I’ve had to really justify playing at the number I’m playing at.”
The 2023 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year bounced back from an injury-marred season by recording eight sacks and setting a career high with 11 passes defensed. He participated in some team drills last week and again on Monday, although he has been absent from the locker room of late when the media has been present.
While it seems likely that Heyward will be on the field to start his 15th season, rookie first-round pick Derrick Harmon will not. Tomlin said the young defensive tackle is out after spraining his knee in Pittsburgh's preseason finale against Carolina. The team, however, has declined to put Harmon on injured reserve, meaning there's a chance he could return at some point this month.
Tomlin declined to get into specifics on how he will split the snaps in Harmon's absence, though he pointed out that most teams rely on a deep rotation of linemen early in the season as they get acclimated. The Steelers have options in veteran reserve Isaiahh Loudermilk and rookie Yahya Black.
The game pits Pittsburgh against Justin Fields, who was the Steelers' Week 1 starter a year ago, and the Jets against Aaron Rodgers, who held the same job for New York last season.
Tomlin downplayed the idea that Rodgers is out for any sort of revenge after spending two often bumpy seasons with the Jets.
“He’s just been doing it so long, I’m sure he’s capable of compartmentalizing that,” Tomlin said. “If it means anything to him more than a normal game, he probably wouldn’t tell you. And so we’re going to go play football.”
Rodgers, at 41 the league's oldest active player, didn't see a snap of game action during the preseason. Tomlin is optimistic it won't take Rodgers and the rest of Pittsburgh's new-look offense to get up to speed, though he allowed there's also an element of mystery to every opener.
“Do I have confidence about what they’re capable of in stadium? I’d be making it up,” he said.
Tomlin, who is entering his 19th season in Pittsburgh, added there's always a bit of “speculation" before getting a chance to see the on-field product. Yet given the careers of Rodgers, wide receiver DK Metcalf and tight end Jonnu Smith — all of whom will be making their Steelers debut on Sunday — he doesn't think he's going out on a limb by predicting they can make an immediate impact.
“You can hide under your desk, or you can be confident," said the longest tenured coach in major North American sports. "I choose to base my posture on what I’ve seen from a prep standpoint. And I’ve been really comfortable with what I have seen.”
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