Eli Heidenreich is on track to get back on the field when the Pittsburgh Steelers open preseason play against the Green Bay Packers, and that’s a welcome bit of injury news for a rookie trying to keep his roster case alive.
Heidenreich had been out of action for a handful of practices as the second week of training camp gave way to the third, but he said he’s feeling right again after the time away.
"Health-wise, I feel great," Heidenreich said. "I took a few days off, I'm sure you guys saw that, but I'm healing up."
He also indicated that the expectation is for him to be available in the preseason opener.
"The plan today was to practice," Heidenreich said. "It got changed up a little bit today, but yea as far as I'm concerned."
If he does suit up later this week at Acrisure Stadium, Heidenreich should see plenty of action. The seventh-round pick entered camp in the mix with Kaleb Johnson and Travis Homer for one of the final spots at running back, but the picture has shifted. Johnson has been handling a steady workload behind Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, while Lew Nichols has been one of camp’s standout names, leaving Heidenreich in a tighter battle with Homer.
The missed practices matter, especially for a rookie still getting adjusted to the NFL. Even so, Heidenreich’s versatility gives him a real path to sticking around. He can line up at running back, contribute on special teams, and even take an occasional snap at wide receiver, which gives Mike McCarthy and his staff some flexibility in how they use him.
That flexibility is part of what has kept Heidenreich interesting, but the roster math still looks tough. With him sitting so far down the depth chart, he appears to be trending toward being a cut candidate simply because there may not be enough room.
Heidenreich can still help himself by showing more as a receiver out of the backfield, holding up in pass protection and making his presence felt on special teams. But even with a strong showing in those areas, it’s hard to see that being enough to land an initial 53-man roster spot.
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