There was good news (Cameron Heyward) and bad news (Derrick Harmon) coming out of the Pittsburgh Steelers camp today if you’re a fan of the Black and Gold. And they both concern defensive linemen.
The good news (maybe?) is Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin says he expects four-time All-Pro Cameron Heyward to be in the lineup when Pittsburgh travels to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, to face the New York Jets on Sunday. His status was (is?) a bit up-in-the-air due to a dispute over a contract renegotiation, which forced Heyward to be a limited participant in training camp and the preseason.
“I’m certainly expecting Cam to play,” Coach Tomlin posited in a news conference today. “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 champing at the bit.”
Why I have the “maybe” written above is that Heyward hasn’t said as much himself about suiting up on Sunday. The best he’s committed to playing on Sunday was “We’ll see,” when asked about it on his podcast today.
The bad news, which could have been worse, for the Steelers is that rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon will be staying on the sidelines come Sunday. The first round pick out of Oregon, who is penciled in as Pittsburgh’s starting right defensive end, sprained his MCL in the team’s final preseason game. But the injury looked worse than it was, and the first-year player is expected to return to the field soon.
Degenerate Spin: Maybe hold off on betting Pittsburgh -2.5 against New York on Sunday until it’s confirmed that Heyward is suiting up. If he doesn’t, the team will be down two starting defensive linemen.
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