Steelers: Keep an eye on Darrius Heyward-Bey

When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers offense, there is plenty to be excited about. While plenty of the attention has been driven toward the stars of the squad, keep an eye on some other guys to make their mark this year.

With Martavis Bryant serving a full year suspension, the talk amongst fans immediately turned to his replacement. Some have claimed it will obviously be Markus Wheaton, with all the praise he’s received from Ben Roethlisberger and coaches as well.

Others have pointed to second year receiver Sammie Coates to step into the role, with a very similar frame to Bryant, and the potential he showed in his brief moments of play during his rookie campaign.

Even without Bryant on the field, Ben Roethlisberger has countless weapons at his disposal. Antonio Brown is truly a one man wrecking crew. Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams coupled together is a two headed beast no one wants to encounter. On top of that, there’s the improving Markus Wheaton, the young Sammie Coates, and the newest addition to the team, Ladarius Green.

But on top of the already prolific lineup are depth players that truly are capable of making a difference. One of these players who doesn’t necessarily stand in the spotlight but can shine when needed to is Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Darrius Heyward-Bey is by no means a superstar. Some would even debate that he’s not even that good of a player. Known for having a knack of dropping the pigskin, Heyward-Bey was a 1st round draft bust by the Oakland Raiders in 2009.

Through 7 years in the league, Heyward-Bey has only had a couple of decent seasons, and has taken a backseat on offenses since being let go by the Raiders in 2012.

Through two seasons in Pittsburgh, Darrius has been nothing special but has managed to do his job well enough to have been re-signed to the team this offseason. Many viewed the signing as a peculiar one, most likely just to add depth in the wake of Bryant’s suspension, and it probably was.

With that being said, the signing could prove to be an important one.

Now I’m not saying that Heyward-Bey is going to have a pro bowl caliber season. I’m not even saying that he’s going to be any higher than the 4th man on the depth chart, because that’s probably where he’ll stay.

Heyward-Bey is a player capable of running under the radar and making big plays. He is one of the fastest players in the league, and with so many weapons running around the field, he can be of use.

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He can stretch the field, and outrun almost anyone. He proved it last season with 4 receptions that he turned into 40+ yard plays. Just to put that into perspective, that’s 3 less than Antonio Brown, but with 115 less receptions.

Darrius Heyward-Bey is not a star, nor will he be a star. But sometimes, it’s the players who lurk in the shadows, the depth players that don’t stand in the limelight of football stardom, that can be difference makers on the big stage.