Cam Heyward may have a new head coach in Mike McCarthy, but Mike Tomlin is still finding ways to stay in the middle of the action.
The Steelers’ longtime defensive lineman said on his “Not Just Football” podcast that Tomlin has been texting him all season, keeping a running conversation going with Heyward and T.J. Watt as Pittsburgh works through the 2026 campaign.
“He’s been texting me all season long,” Heyward admitted on his Not Just Football podcast. “Week in and week out, about different defensive linemen.
Who we about to play. It’s me and T.J. together.
There’s a crazy group chat going on right now.”
That’s the kind of detail that says plenty about how Tomlin has stayed connected to the players he coached for so long. Tomlin, who stepped down as Steelers head coach in January, addressed that bond directly when asked about the group chat.
“Our relationships are real,” Tomlin said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with the jobs we hold.
I love these dudes, man. I care about these dudes, and I wanna see them be successful.
And so, sometimes wanting to see them be successful and saying some things that aren’t necessarily nice, but I’m hoping they get it from somewhere else.”
Heyward added another layer to the story when he said Tomlin reached out to the chat after the Steelers’ Week 8 win over the Cleveland Browns to thank them for doing their job and helping secure the victory. Even out of the coaching seat, Tomlin still had plenty to say about a division opponent.
Heyward, the 31st overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, has now spent 16 seasons with Pittsburgh, making him the team’s longest-tenured player. With Tomlin gone and McCarthy now leading the way, the veteran would be the one dealing with the biggest adjustment. Instead, the Steelers are 6-2 and sitting in first place in the AFC North, and Tomlin’s presence is still being felt from a distance.
It also fits the image Tomlin built over the years as a players coach, the kind of leader players around the league wanted to be around. Hearing Heyward describe the ongoing push from Tomlin only reinforces how strong that connection remains, even now that the headset is no longer on his sideline.
In Other News...
Steelers Debate Just Got Louder Around Aaron Rodgers And The Deadline
The Steelers have spent much of the season looking like a team with real playoff ambitions, and former offensive coordinator Todd Haley thinks the roster is close enough to justify a more aggressive push. His view is simple: Pittsburgh has the kind of foundation that can matter in January, but it still needs another offensive playmaker to make the whole operation more dangerous, especially with Aaron Rodgers in place to steer the offense.
Haley also took aim at the clubs quiet approach at the NFL trade deadline, pointing to the Jacksonville Jaguars as an example of a team willing to act decisively to strengthen its roster. For Pittsburgh, the debate now is less about whether it can contend and more about whether it did enough to help Rodgers and the offense make a deeper postseason run. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Are Earning Real Respect With Bengals Test Looming
The Steelers spent their bye week in a good place, riding four straight wins into first place in the AFC North and drawing a noticeable bump in national respect along the way. Across a handful of NFL media power rankings, Pittsburgh landed anywhere from No. 7 to No. 13, a range that reflects both the strength of its defense and the sense that this team has earned a real seat at the table.
Pittsburgh also managed to hold steady through the week off, with no outlet dropping the Steelers in its rankings as the attention shifts to Sunday Night Football against the Bengals. It is the kind of matchup that can say plenty about where the Steelers really stand, especially with a division rival waiting and the stakes rising fast in the race at the top of the AFC North. [Read more 🡒]
T.J. Watt Has Steelers Defense Looking Dangerous Again
T.J. Watt has put himself right back at the center of the Steelers defensive conversation, and it is easy to see why. Several Pittsburgh analysts have already pegged him as the teams midseason Defensive Player of the Year, pointing to his relentless pressure off the edge and the way he keeps changing games even when he is not finishing every play himself. Under coordinator Patrick Graham, the defense has started to look more like the unit Pittsburgh expects, and Watt has been a major reason for that turn.
He has not been doing it alone, either. Cam Heyward has remained a steady force up front, Keeanu Benton has added another layer inside, and Jalen Ramsey has given the secondary a more dangerous feel. Still, Watt is the one setting the tone, and the bigger question for the Steelers is how high this defense can climb if he keeps driving it the way he has so far. [Read more 🡒]