Cam Heyward wants a sense of urgency in Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't made many moves in free agency, and it is concerning Cam Heyward. The Steelers defensive tackle understands that time is of the essence.
Although the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers are in discussions about a contract, there is more to what they need to do. After all, backup quarterback Justin Fields signed with the New York Jets.
Subsequently, Russell Wilson has been linked to the New York Giants, in addition to the Steelers. There isn't much certainty and it's starting to worry Heyward.
“I think we're in a state of urgency,” Heyward said Friday on The Rich Eisen Show. “We have a lot of guys that, like myself, are in the latter stages of their career. We all want to win.
“It's not just enough to win a playoff game, which we haven't won in a couple years, and there's a bad taste in our mouth because of that.”
Cam Heyward wants the Steelers to make a move
After not making many moves, the Steelers still have an elite team on the defensive front. They have TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, two of the best at their respective positions.
At the same time, the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf, making improvements to their offense. However, it hasn't changed Heyward's trajectory on the team.
He sees the issue as more of a long-term problem. After Pittsburgh hasn't made an AFC Championship game since 2016, there's legitimate cause for concern. The defensive end elaborated more on his point.
“Urgency to do it before we have multiple guys that hang it up,” Heyward said. “You have a guy like T.J. Watt. You don't just get a T.J. Watt and you sit on that T.J. Watt, you make sure you maximize those opportunities to win at a high level. And with Minkah Fitzpatrick — All-Pro guys that are soon to be Hall of Famers that we have so much respect for.
“We've got to win now. It's not enough to look toward the future and say, ‘Oh, two or three years out we could be very good.' Two or three years out we could be a totally different team, so we've got to make the most of this right now.”
Locking up guys like Watt or Fitzpatrick will be essential and the most important point. Still, in order to convince them to stay, they'll need to show progress.
Making the playoffs is fun but losing in the Wild Card isn't appealing. As a result, it might force the two superstars, and others to look elsewhere if their contracts are up.
