“Hell no" - Cam Heyward reveals Mike Tomlin blocked OC Arthur Smith’s idea to use All-Pro DT on Steelers' offense

Pittsburgh Steelers Mandatory Minicamp - Source: Getty
Pittsburgh Steelers' Cam Heyward was blocked from playing offense - Source: Getty

Cam Heyward has been a major difference-maker for the Pittsburgh Steelers since the start of the previous decade. Spending a first-round pick on Heyward has been one of the greatest successes of Mike Tomlin's tenure, and the head coach knows how important he is for his defense.

Ad

However, Heyward could have played an important role in Pittsburgh's offense as well, if not for Tomlin. The NFL has a few examples of defensive tackles being used in goal-line situations on offense. Arthur Smith, the Steelers' offensive coordinator, thought that this could be a great idea to implement.

However, his idea was blocked even before he had the chance to use.

On Tuesday's episode of his show "Not Just Football with Cam Heyward," the All-Pro defensive tackle said the idea was discussed at some point between Smith, Tomlin and himself. While he seemed interested in taking part, Tomlin quickly shut down the possibility, keeping him solely on defense:

Ad

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

"Hell no! He wouldn't let me do anything on offense. Arthur Smith was around me and was like 'Hey, we need to sneak you in on offense.' And Mike was like 'we ain't doing that. That's not happening.' He really did."
youtube-cover
Ad

Some of the defensive players who have been used on offense in recent years include J.J. Watt, who scored multiple touchdowns a decade ago, and Dontari Poe, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs. Known for his offensive schemes and designs, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had Poe score two touchdowns in his career.

Cam Heyward reveals he almost retired after the 2023 season

The star defender has been in the league for a decade and a half and is still going strong. He finished the 2024 season with an All-Pro nod after another great year, but it almost didn't happen.

Ad

In March, Heyward revealed on "The Pivot" that he thought about retirement after the 2023 season, when he played in just 11 games due to injury. However, Mike Tomlin nipped that notion in the bud.

"Last year when I got hurt during the season, I came back, you know, it was a long season," Heyward said. "I'm talking about retirement, you know, a lot of things on my mind. I got in the meeting and this dude [Tomlin] had a whole plan of how the meeting was going to go. Because he is asking me about how I am thinking, I'm saying I'm coming back."

He has two years left on his contract with the Steelers and will cost $19.6M against the cap in 2025.

Steelers Fans! Check out the latest Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule and dive into the Steelers Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Quick Links

Edited by Henrique Bulio
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications