Art Rooney, Jr. was the personnel director behind the greatest draft in sports history, and he described Mike Webster before that 1974 draft as "a bumblebee" – as in a freak of nature in that shouldn't be able to fly with such small wings and big body.
Teryl Austin used a different term to describe Cam Heyward, but all in the same vein:
"He's a unicorn."
Heyward is about to separate from Webster by playing in his 221st game with the Steelers on Sunday. Currently, he's tied with Webster for second place on the Steelers all-time list with 220 games played. Ben Roethlisberger stands first at 249.
The Steelers prepare for the Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (22) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig (51) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jack Sawyer (33) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end DeMarvin Leal (98) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Kyle Dugger (29) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (6) and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Carson Bruener (44) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback James Pierre (42) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Chuck Clark (21) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (6) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end DeMarvin Leal (98) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Brodric Martin-Rhodes (78) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (99) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Esezi Otomewo (93), Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Yahya Black (94) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Logan Lee (91) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Kyler Baugh (65), Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (99) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Brodric Martin-Rhodes (78) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson (20) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington (80) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson (10) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph (2) during practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex preparing for a Week 11 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Heyward tried to refute any significance over moving into second place ahead of Webster, but Austin was glowing with praise about Heyward.
"To be as elderly as he is," Austin said with a chuckle, "and to play as well as he's playing, I think it's really a testament to him and his work ethic and the things that he does to stay prepared and engaged.
"That's the one thing when you're around him, he's almost like a 24-year-old, new guy in the building. He really enjoys football. He enjoys being around the guys. He works his tail off. It's really a testament to him and what he's put into this game that he's able to reach those heights and play as long as he has and still play well as he has."
Said Heyward: "Game 24 of the 2025 season is what I'm concerned with."
Is Asante Samuel Jr. ready?
After joining the team on Wednesday, cornerback Asante Samuel, Jr. proclaimed himself fit and ready to play. However, he remains tethered to the practice squad as he works his way back from a shoulder injury that's kept him off the field for a little over a year.
"We've just had one day with him," Austin said. "You see he's kept himself in pretty good shape. You see him running around. Where that leads at the end of the week, I won't know until we get to the end of the week."
Austin said the Steelers are working the 5-10, 180-pound Samuel only at outside cornerback right now. Brandin Echols remains the slot cornerback and James Pierre is ready to play outside if Darius Slay can't.
Austin had praise for Pierre, who played 48 snaps Sunday night in Los Angeles after Slay left with an injury.
"He's a true pro," Austin said of Pierre. "James was a Covid guy, just got him at (2020) camp, and all he did when he got here was make a play, make a play. We tried to elevate him earlier, and he struggled a little bit, but because of the way he works and the way he approaches things, man, that wasn't a setback for him. And so I think that's why you see when we put him into games now, as a veteran, he's really being able to be impactful for us and we don't really miss a beat.
"It's really a good lesson for all young players that you're never defined by what happens early in your career. It just depends on how you work and how you approach things that you could turn things around and be a really productive guy and play a lot of years in this league."
Might the same one day be said of Samuel here?
"He's got a skill set, obviously, we've seen that on tape," Austin said. "He can run, he's got ball skills, he has all the natural movements that a corner does. And so I would think he would fit in here in terms of the amount of single-high (coverage) that we play and being able to guard people. But again, we'll let that thing take its course, and we'll see where it takes us."
Can Jaylen Warren get more touches?
That seems to be the question of the week on the offensive side of the ball, after Warren played 24 snaps Sunday night and rushed for 70 yards. Another running back, Kenneth Gainwell, played 27 snaps and didn't get a carry.
"We win more third downs, we'll get Jaylen more touches. It's as simple as that," said Mike Tomlin.
"I'd love to see Jaylen on first, second or third down," said Aaron Rodgers. "But I love seeing Kenny on first, second, third down, too."
Thursday, it was offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's turn to respond.
"Every game you only have that few number of plays, no matter what your intent is," Smith said. "Then you get behind. You do it to yourself. I don't want to take anything away from the Chargers, because they had a say in it, as well. We have to sustain more drives and score more points."
The other most-asked-about offensive player is practice squad wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the former teammate of Rodgers who signed with the Steelers last week.
"Guys every week get opportunities, things happen, anybody that can help us," Smith said. "We've seen it throughout the whole entire season. There've been guys that have been pulled off practice squads. Those are ongoing opportunities for everybody out there."
Does Valdes-Scantling understand the offense yet?
"All those guys are working hard," Smith said. "Those are discussions that happen every day, usually assessed every week. We'll see where it goes."
