PITTSBURGH — The Steelers got some good news on Thursday with the return of Cam Heyward to practice. Heyward had been out since Week 1 after undergoing core muscle surgery. Heyward has hurdles to evident and says he will not rush his return from the injury despite pushing incessantly to take the necessary steps forward to return from that injury.
“I am taking it day-by-day,” Heyward said. “I am not rushing the process. The healing is taking effect. But I have to get reps under my belt. I gotta feel more comfortable with what I am doing. Trust myself, trust my body. We’ll see where we are at.”
However, Cam Heyward revealed the true nature of his injury. Heading into the season, he already suffered from a core muscle injury. That worsened against the 49ers, and he tore his adductor muscle in his groin. So, in reality, Heyward is returning from two separate injuries here. He has to pace himself back and get the requisite level of conditioning needed for the workload he plays at on the field.
In conjunction with the doctors, Heyward has worked heavily to get his level of conditioning back to where it was before the injuries. He has no concerns about that whenever he is activated from injured reserve, which he has no clue when that will be. He says that is above his pay grade, but he will push to get back as soon as possible.
“That’s above my pay grade,” Heyward said. “I am sure somebody has that planned out for me. I hope to beat that one day. I have been pressing. There have been MRIs. I have had to see where my progress is. I got good news this morning. Had an MRI and popped right over.”
Heyward is no spring chicken anymore. But the recovery seems ahead of schedule at this point. He should be able to get back onto the field against the Green Bay Packers. Could he push for an early return against the Titans? Maybe, but expect his return to at least come on November 12th.