Eli Heidenreich TD
Eli Heidenreich TD
In the final preseason game of the summer, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie seventh-round pick and Pittsburgh-area native Eli Heidenreich finally had his moment on the field.
And it came with a lot of help from rookie first-round offensive tackle Max Iheanachor.
Taking over as the lead back in the third quarter with rookie Drew Allar under center, Heidenreich had an impressive drive, ripping off six carries for 29 yards, all of which came after he had a nice 26-yard kickoff return to open the second half, getting the ball out past the 30-yard line.
Eleven plays later, Heidenreich finished off a great Steelers drive with a 9-yard rushing touchdown, following a pulling Iheanachor for the score.
Take a look.
ELI TD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #Steelers pic.twitter.com/8ZNaZ2OkOG
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 28, 2026
After missing some time early in training camp with an injury, putting him behind just a bit, Heidenreich has made plays in the three preseason games. His performance against Buffalo was his best by far.
Check out the block out in front by Iheanachor, too. He’s a great athlete, which had teams high on him throughout the draft process. Though he’s still relatively new to the game, having picked it up in junior college, his athleticism for his size could have him on the field quickly in his rookie season.
Though he had some rough moments in his debut against Buffalo with a pair of holding calls (one was a bad call), the work here in the run game out in front of Heidenreich was impressive and shows what could be ahead with the first-round pick at right tackle.