Through the first three years of his career, Connor Heyward hasn’t made much of an impact. He’s been stuffed down on the depth chart, and playing time in 2025 seems even more unlikely now that the Steelers have acquired Jonnu Smith.
However, that may change in a big way, thanks to a new quarterback being in town. Aaron Rodgers loves the collection of tight ends in Pittsburgh, and he made a point to single out Heyward on Tuesday.
“Again, with Jonnu [Smith] out, one guy I’d love to single out is Connor,” Rodgers said via Training Camp Live. “I mean, Connor does the right thing every time. He’s a really smart football player, and the smartest players are the best players. So he’s the kind of guy you feel real confident that you can put him in there at any time, and know he’s gonna be on the same page.”
The beginning of Heyward’s career has been largely unspectacular. He’s played in 51 games and has 41 career receptions for 358 yards and two touchdowns. He hasn’t been on the field a ton, with offensive snap count rates of just 15 percent in 2022 and 18 percent in 2024.
Even with the new additions at tight end, Arthur Smith and Aaron Rodgers are upping their level of creativity. Pittsburgh’s gone as far as to experiment with four-tight end sets in training camp, including Connor Heyward on the field. Smith loves to use his tight ends, and Rodgers has consistently praised the group ever since he arrived in Pittsburgh.
It’s a make-or-break year for Heyward, but he mostly started on the right foot. Heyward was on the field for 33 snaps during the Steelers’ win over the Jaguars. That’s a healthy amount, but it makes sense as Heyward is the fourth tight end.
He had a decent night, catching two of the three balls thrown his way and turning them into 17 receiving yards. He received a solid 70.3 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. But he did have a holding penalty while run blocking and struggled a little bit in that regard. It wasn’t a terrific showing, but Heyward did make some nice plays, and there’s something to build off going forward as he should see a healthy workload in the final two preseason affairs.
Rodgers won’t control the offense, but if he likes something, Arthur Smith will listen. Right now, it sounds like Rodgers is a big fan of Connor Heyward, going out of his way to praise him on Tuesday. The fourth-year tight end needs a big year. It sounds like he’s off to a good start.
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