The Pittsburgh Steelers have a new Home Run Derby champion, and the timing comes with a little extra baggage.
Rookie running back Eli Heidenreich won the team’s annual competition over the weekend at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, closing out training camp with a title that has become a familiar Steelers tradition. The celebration, though, comes with a strange recent track record attached to it.
The last winner before Heidenreich was kicker Ben Sauls in 2025. He didn’t stick on the 53-man roster with Chris Boswell already in place, and later made his debut with the New York Giants last season.
A year earlier, Justin Fields claimed the derby crown after arriving in a trade from the Chicago Bears that offseason. Fields opened the season as Pittsburgh’s starter, going 4-2 over the first six games while Russell Wilson dealt with a calf injury. He was benched starting in Week 7, and after Pittsburgh reportedly had interest in bringing him back, Fields instead signed a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Jets in March 2025 before being cut earlier this offseason.
Kenny Pickett took the honors in both 2022 and 2023. The Pitt product never became Ben Roethlisberger’s long-term successor after being chosen in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he lasted only two seasons in Pittsburgh before moving around the league as a backup.
The Steelers did not hold the derby from 2019 through 2021, but the winners before that stretch included Matt Feiler in 2018, Roethlisberger in 2015 and Larry Foote in 2012.
For Heidenreich, the bigger question now is whether the derby trophy is a nice memory or just another quirky footnote. He put up 21 yards on nine carries in his preseason debut against the Green Bay Packers, and he’s fighting for a spot in a crowded running back group that includes Travis Homer, Lew Nichols and Kaleb Johnson.
Even if he doesn’t survive final cuts, Heidenreich could still have a path to helping Pittsburgh later on. His versatility gives him a chance to contribute in the backfield, on special teams or even in the slot as a wide receiver, assuming he clears waivers and lands on the practice squad.
It’s too early to call this a curse, but the recent Home Run Derby winners haven’t exactly enjoyed smooth sailing with the Steelers afterward.
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