Versatile Connor Heyward trying to stand out in crowded Steelers tight end room

After being a small part of the Pittsburgh Steelers offense the past two seasons, Connor Heyward is looking for bigger things in 2024.

Thanks to the addition of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, Heyward might get his wish. Even if he remains the third option in the team’s tight end pecking order.

“I want my role to evolve even more going into Year 3,” Heyward said earlier in training camp at Saint Vincent College. “It doesn’t matter if I’m playing fullback, H-back, lining up out wide. I just want to be in the game. I don’t need the ball 1,000 times. I can play without the ball.”

No player on the Steelers offense might benefit more from Smith’s arrival after three seasons as the Atlanta Falcons head coach. Smith is known for using his tight ends like chess pieces, moving them around the offensive formation and having multiple ones on the field to exploit defensive mismatches.

That dovetails nicely with Heyward’s goal of receiving increased playing time this season, and he got an early taste of what might be in store for him during the Steelers’ preseason opener against Houston.

With the Steelers using a three tight-end set, Heyward caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from No. 3 quarterback Kyle Allen in the third quarter to cut into a 17-0 deficit. It was one of two receptions Heyward had in the opener.

“Connor was talking about not having a touchdown last year at all,” Allen said, “so I went up to him right after and said we got you on the board early even if this one doesn’t really count.”

It actually was Heyward’s first score since the 2023 preseason, when he led Steelers tight ends with six receptions for 73 yards. It didn’t carry over into the regular season, however, despite a modest uptick in Heyward’s playing time.

While remaining a core special teams player, Heyward played 38% of the offensive snaps. His targets doubled from 17 to 34, and his receptions increased from 12 to 23. Still, his yards per catch dropped from 12.6 to 7.3, and he remained the team’s third-oft used tight end for the second year in a row. The addition of veteran tight end MyCole Pruitt provides the Steelers with a fourth veteran option.

Smith seems committed to finding a way to use Heyward in spite of the crowded numbers. He said the 6-foot, 230-pound converted running back reminds him of a smaller version Cordarrelle Patterson, a wide receiver-turned-running back who enjoyed a career transformation under Smith in Atlanta.

“A unique football player,” Smith said of Heyward. “Different from ‘C.P.’ but a guy that played a different spot in college. A very good spatial player, he’s a good teamer and a tough football player. It’s been fun moving Connor around.”

An indication of how much Smith values the tight end position came in the preseason opener when all six tight ends on the 90-man roster logged at least 10 snaps. Heyward’s 17 snaps were one fewer than Darnell Washington’s tight end-high 18.

In 2023, while the Steelers were using two tight ends just 17.4% of the time, the Falcons were leading the NFL at 41.8. The Falcons also used three tight ends on 7.8% of their offensive plays, which also ranked among the league leaders.

“It’s not just me. It’s all the tight ends,” Heyward said when asked how Smith’s philosophy could impact him. “We’re moving inside, outside the numbers, and I’m lining up in the backfield as well. It’s moving and making the defenses respect us in the run game and pass game.”

The Steelers’ offense was accused of being too predictable under Matt Canada. The way Smith uses his tight ends might indicate a penchant for running the football, but Heyward believes the Steelers will find a way to keep defenses guessing.

“It’s getting to the same place but out of different looks,” he said. “It’s different motions and also the personnel we are using. It could be 2-1, 1-3, 1-2. We can do it all, but we can dress it up and make it look different each and every time we get back to our base plays.”

On Heyward’s touchdown catch against the Texans, the Steelers had three tight ends bunched on the right side of the formation. Heyward was flanked by Matt Sokol and Rodney Williams.

Williams cut across the middle, and Sokol took on a blocker, freeing up Heyward to run in the flat. Using play-action, Allen hit Heyward in stride, and Heyward broke a tackle to reach the pylon.

“This is what our offense is built for,” Heyward said.