Maybe Jonnu Smith doesn’t become the next Pittsburgh Steelers tight end. Perhaps it was a media-driven leverage ploy to put the heat on the Miami Dolphins to hammer out a contract extension. Even if Smith stays in South Beach, there’s no guarantee Connor Heyward remains in Pittsburgh.
Though Smith hoards tight ends like it’s the 1990s and they’re Beanie Babies, Heyward has plenty of competition currently on the roster. Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington are locks as the Steelers’ top and starting tight ends. Early in the offseason, Pittsburgh signed one-time Los Angeles Chargers standout Donald Parham, a power forward player at 6083, 240 pounds who found success early in his career before spending 2024 on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad. While known for his receiving ability, his frame alone makes him a more attractive in-line blocker.
Pittsburgh didn’t draft a tight end, but they added South Dakota’s JJ Galbreath as an appealing undrafted free agent. Closer to a new-age move tight end with route-running akin to a big receiver, Galbreath shows a willingness and moderate ability to block. Cracking the 53-man roster will be tough, but he should compete hard for a practice squad spot.
While the Steelers kept four tight ends last year, they could roster three and a fullback this time around. That fullback spot could go to UDFA DJ Thomas-Jones. An H-Back who began his career at Ole Miss and ended it at South Alabama, he’s a powerful lead blocker who occasionally made plays down the seam himself. Pittsburgh missed having a true fullback in Arthur Smith’s first season. Heyward and MyCole Pruitt received a handful of backfield snaps, but neither was effective. If Thomas-Jones can fill that void and be a competent special teamer, he’ll be tough to leave off the roster.
Under Smith, Heyward struggled to find his footing. Freiermuth and Washington stayed healthy, naturally limiting Heyward’s snaps, which he took advantage of the year before. But even as Pittsburgh ranked No. 2 league-wide in three tight end usage, a staple throughout Smith’s tenure, Heyward struggled for snaps and a role.
In 2024, Heyward logged just 207 snaps, barely surpassing his rookie season total and nearly half of what he logged in 2023. His production worsened even more. Heyward caught just four passes for 40 yards and an early-season touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys—identical numbers to veteran blocking tight end MyCole Pruitt, who played in five fewer games.
After Week 7, Heyward was targeted just twice, recording two catches for 11 yards over that span. His snap count matched the decrease. In the ten games post-bye, he recorded single-digit snaps in six of them. His high watermark came in a Christmas Day loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, 21 snaps, and even then, more than half of them came in the final minutes with the game in hand and Pittsburgh pulling certain starters like Freiermuth and Washington. Even at the height of the Steelers’ offense, where everyone got involved, Heyward was left out.
Smith just didn’t have a role for him. He attempted an early wheel route to Heyward that just missed his outstretched fingertips. While he’s athletic and can stand up, Smith got Freiermuth more involved in that role while Washington handled in-line blocking duties. Most of Heyward’s snaps came in a Y-off alignment, coming across the line of scrimmage on split zone schemes to cut the backside defensive end. He did the job at an acceptable level and showed effort, making a great “take two” block to spring Justin Fields for a chunk run in the first meeting against the Cleveland Browns. But overall, his offensive impact was muted, and he couldn’t find a fit.
Heyward’s biggest calling card is his special-teams value. He continues to be a multi-phase ‘teamer who tied for the team lead with 303 snaps last season, finishing with eight tackles. Don’t shrug that off, either. Pittsburgh values having multiple of those players on the back-end of their roster, and it could allow Heyward to stick. Parham won’t play those kinds of snaps, and Thomas-Jones has to prove he can.
But will it be enough? It’s hard to say. He feels squarely on the bubble entering training camp. If Thomas-Jones and others impress, Heyward could be the odd man out. If the spring buzz dissipates, Heyward could stick even if his offensive usage may again be minimal.
For a sixth-round pick like him, Connor Heyward spending three years on the 53-man roster and appearing in 51 games is a commendable feat. At some point, every NFL player’s time runs out. Connor Heyward’s clock, at least in Pittsburgh, is ticking.
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