PITTSBURGH (AP) 鈥� There’s a legacy that comes when your last name is Heyward, and you play football for a living.
Especially when you do it in Pittsburgh.
Connor Heyward has known this basically his entire life. The Steelers tight end/fullback grew up hearing the stories about his father, former NFL running back and University of Pittsburgh great Craig 鈥淚ronhead鈥� Heyward. He watched from afar as older brother Cam evolved from a first-round pick by the Steelers in 2011 into one of the best defensive tackles of his generation.
It’s a lot to live up to. Particularly when what you do on the field is hard to define.
Connor Heyward doesn’t bulldoze opposing linebackers as his dad did. He doesn’t overwhelm offensive linemen on the way to the quarterback 鈥� and maybe one day the Hall of Fame 鈥� like his brother.
There’s no one more aware of this than the 26-year-old who has spent the past four seasons trying to show that his roster spot isn’t merely the result of the name on the back of his jersey.
鈥淚 always feel like I have something to prove,鈥� Heyward said. 鈥淲hether that鈥檚 to myself or just my peers, teams we鈥檙e competing against, just showing them that I belong.鈥�
Even now, after being selected as an alternate to the Pro Bowl as a fullback for the first time, Heyward is hardly ready to exhale and say he’s arrived. While he points out he’s stuck it out longer than most sixth-round picks, all it takes is one search of his name on social media to make sure the chip on his shoulder never leaves.
There were times, particularly earlier in his career, when the online vitriol directed his way that he was the NFL’s version of a nepo-baby would get to him.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 hide from that,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou see it. It sucks.”
A 鈥榯rue football player鈥�
He wasn’t the only one who noticed. Asked if he thinks it’s hard for Connor to be his little brother, Cam Heyward nodded.
鈥淗e gets a s鈥�- ton,鈥� of criticism, said the older Heyward, a seven-time Pro Bowler and the NFL’s 2023 . 鈥淚 kind of walked in here with it myself, being my dad鈥檚 son. (Connor’s) just got it both ways. He鈥檚 got to deal with both (me and my dad). And it鈥檚 not always easy, but I think he鈥檚 answered it and he鈥檚 on his way.鈥�
And he’s done it by being himself. At 6-foot and 230 pounds, he is hardly the biggest, the strongest or the fastest player on the field. Yet Heyward has consistently found a way to be impactful whenever 鈥� or wherever 鈥� he lines up.
He’s a fixture on special teams but is just as comfortable taking the snap from center in the Steelers’ version of the 鈥渢ush push鈥� (dubbed the 鈥楶ittsburgh Plunge鈥� in honor of a ride at a local amusement park), something he does when he’s not running routes at tight end, setting up at fullback and clearing space for Kenny Gainwell and Jaylen Warren.
鈥淗e is a true football player,鈥� tight end Pat Freiermuth said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate to see he doesn鈥檛 get the respect that he deserves outside the building, but everyone in the building knows what he can do.鈥�
And as a result, everyone in the building is fine asking Heyward to do a lot, including the kind of dirty work that rarely makes its way to a highlight package but stands out in the team’s film room.
鈥淭he more we put on his plate, the more he executes,” Freiermuth said. 鈥淚t’s awesome.鈥�
Which makes the moments when the ball is in Heyward’s hands feel earned, not given. Last week against Cleveland, the Steelers unveiled their latest wrinkle on the 鈥淧ittsburgh Plunge鈥� by having Heyward take the snap and race to his right for 29 yards to help set up a field goal.
Heyward has learned there is no pleasing everyone. That no matter what he does, it will never be enough for some. He’d be lying, however, if he said he doesn’t get some small level of satisfaction out of having his mentions go silent, at least for a little while.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not like, 鈥楽hut up,鈥� but it鈥檚, like, 鈥業 told you so,鈥欌�� Heyward said. 鈥淎nd sometimes it’s just to yourself, like just that reassurance that you sometimes need.鈥�
A tightening bond
Heyward will be a free agent this offseason. It seems almost a given he’s done enough for the Steelers 鈥� who have long reserved spots on the roster for players willing to do what Heyward so capably does 鈥� to earn a contract to return.
If he sticks around, it would give him a chance to spend perhaps one final season alongside Cam, who will be entering the last year of his current contract and turns 37 in May.
Connor Heyward described Cam as 鈥渓ike a dad to me,鈥� while growing up, thanks in part to their 10-year age gap. That has shifted during their time together in Pittsburgh, where Cam has become the big brother careful not to overstep his bounds and Connor has turned into the self-described 鈥渃ool uncle鈥� to Cam’s and wife Allie’s three kids.
It’s telling of how comfortable they are with each other that Connor never asked the team to move his locker, which has been a stall or two over from Cam’s during the entirety of his career.
Asked why he never bothered to move 鈥� it’s worth noting that former Steeler brothers/teammates Nick and Nate Herbig and Trey and Terrell Edmunds had lockers on opposite sides of the room 鈥� and Connor points to the demands of their lives away from the facility that make getting together during the season difficult.
Those quiet moments together have been invaluable, and render all the noise that comes with being considered the 鈥渙ther鈥� Heyward just that: noise.
Yes, if he were somewhere else, maybe there’d be a little less hate sent his way. But there also wouldn’t be the same sense of family. It’s a trade-off he will happily deal with.
No, he’s not his dad. No, he’s not his brother. That doesn’t make him less than. It just makes him different.
鈥淚鈥檓 glad I’m here in Pittsburgh,鈥� Connor Heyward said. 鈥淚’m glad to continue to build off what I鈥檝e started and what Cam has done. I know who I am.鈥�
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