Pittsburgh Steelers veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is skipping the team’s OTAs for the first time in his entire 11-year career with the team as he negotiates contract terms with the team. It seems like a pretty brutal situation for the team to be without one of its leaders and top players, but it doesn’t sound like head coach Mike Tomlin is that worried about it.
During a recent press conference, Mike Tomlin made it clear that he and Cameron Heyward communicate often, and he’s not worried about his absence from OTAs.
“I’m not overly concerned, to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin said according to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Cam is a guy with over 10,000-plus career snaps. I know Cam very well. We’ve shared a lot of experiences over the years. He and I talk often. As a matter of fact, we talked twice yesterday. That is not an irregular thing. It’s what we always do. We talk about not only where he is and what’s going on with him, but where this team is. As a leader, he needs information in that regard.”
While it’s not an issue yet, Heyward did seemingly suggest that he could ultimately leave the team one way or another if the contract negotiations don’t go as hoped. That would obviously be much more concerning to Tomlin and the Steelers than the current situation.
