Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin expects defensive tackle Cam Heyward to play despite his contract situation.
Tomlin does not believe Heyward would miss games over the issue, and has no reservations about his football readiness, either. Heyward has been practicing in full participation since August 19.
“I’m certainly expecting Cam to play,” Tomlin said. “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 chomping at the bit.”
However, with no new contract, Heyward has a decision to make on Wednesday. Speaking on his latest podcast episode of Not Just Football, Heyward will not rule out missing the team’s Week 1 game against the Jets.
“We’ll see,” Heyward said when asked if he would play.
In addition, when asked if there was any movement or update on his contract situation, Heyward said that nothing has happened since his initial request.
“Nope, Nothing to talk about,” Heyward said.
Heyward, who is the 22nd highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL, says he talked to the team in late February that he would like a new deal. In Heyward’s own words, he just wants to be valued relative to the market that has continued to soar.
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