Well, this isn't good. We all saw Cameron Heyward exit the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers in some visible pain during the Week 1 contest against the San Francisco 49ers. When the veteran defensive lineman later tried to return to the field, we thought his injury was not going to be significant. Unfortunately, this isn't the case.
There were a lot of questions surrounding injuries to players like Heyward and Diontae Johnson following the game. The initial news is not encouraging. On Monday evening, Gerry Dulac of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Heyward had suffered a groin injury that requires surgery and he is expected to miss as many as 8 weeks.
BREAKING: Steelers DE Cam Heyward will have surgery to repair injured groin on Wednesday and expected to miss up to 8 weeks, per sources. Sustained injury vs 49ers.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) September 11, 2023
This is a devastating blow to a team trying to bounce back from narrowly missing the playoffs in 2022. Heyward is obviously an integral part of this Steelers defense, and the three-time First-Team All-Pro is a difference-maker along the interior defensive line.
Heyward has been extremely healthy since suffering a torn pectoral all the way back in 2016 (a season in which he played only 7 games before landing on IR). Now Pittsburgh got a taste of just how much they will miss him as they were completely gashed on the ground against the 49ers in Week 1.
Heyward's loss is a significant blow to the Steelers
Apart from losing Kenny Pickett or T.J. Watt, this might be the most important player to the team's success in 2023. Even in the latter part of his career, Heyward is considered one of the best interior defenders in the league and is coming off his 6th straight Pro Bowl season in 2023.
While we knew early on that this was a groin injury to Heyward, I don't know if anyone anticipated the issues being bad enough to require surgery. From this estimate, we can safely assume that the Pittsburgh Steelers will place him on injured reserve and will be eligible to return after four games. However, it could take twice that amount of time for Heyward to be ready to go.
This is a devastating loss for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Heyward's absence will force younger players like DeMarvin Leal, Keeanu Benton, and Isaiahh Loudermilk into bigger roles on defense for the first half of the season. Let's hope they are up for the challenge and that this team can weather the storm without him for the time being.