Cam Heyward ready to 'fall in love' with new-look Steelers defense

Like a romantic burned one too many times on the dating scene, Cameron Heyward continues to search for the right one. He thinks he has found it, but he’s not ready to let down his guard.

In this case, it’s not a significant other the veteran defensive lineman seeks. Heyward is happily married with three children.

It’s a group of defensive players on the Pittsburgh Steelers who will help carry the franchise to a Super Bowl appearance for the first time in a decade.

“I like them,” Heyward said late Thursday night. “I want to fall in love with them this year.”

With the preseason concluded following a 25-19 loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Steelers defensive captain stood in a corner of the visiting locker room at Bank of America Stadium and projected optimism for a defense that has fallen short of greatness so often in his eight NFL seasons.

For the second game in a row, the defense was responsible for the first score of the game, late-addition Jayrone Elliott returning his own fumble forced on a strip sack 88 yards for a touchdown. The Steelers finished with six sacks, giving them 20 in the preseason, and recorded their first two interceptions, one which led to an immediate touchdown.

“We have all the capability in the world, all of the potential,” said Heyward, who like every other starter — offensive and defense — watched from the sideline Thursday. “A lot of speed, a lot of guys that can do a lot of things that can make us flexible in our approach. But we’ve got to do it in real games because that is what we will be judged on.”

The first test of the 16 that will define the 2019 season will come Sept. 8 in New England, where the Steelers have never won while Tom Brady has quarterbacked the Patriots. It will be the Steelers’ first trip to Gillette Stadium since the 36-17 loss in the AFC Championship game in January 2017, a game in which Brady picked apart the defense with surgical-like precision.

The preseason is an imprecise barometer with which to project regular-season success because the starters on both sides of the ball see such little playing time. But the Steelers infused a blend of youth and speed into the defense after last year ended short of a playoff berth for the first time in five seasons. The results were positive in exhibition play.

The Steelers also displayed a variety of subpackages on defense, including one that featured three safeties in the nickel defense, with free safety Sean Davis playing in the box and first-year player Kameron Kelly lining up deep. Such versatility could come in handy against Brady, who has confused the Steelers secondary so many times in the past.

“This is a great opportunity,” Heyward said, “and we challenge ourselves in the preseason to be a lot better.”

After finishing last season with the third-fewest turnovers created in the NFL, including a franchise-tying low of eight interceptions, the Steelers were charged in the preseason with generating more havoc on defense. They forced nine fumbles, recovering six.

“I liked the way we attacked the ball,” Heyward said. “I thought we had a lot of fumbles. I thought we took a lot of steps toward getting more sacks, having a lot more turnovers. Only time will tell what we do in the regular season.”

The belief is the Steelers got faster with the additions of free agents Steve Nelson at cornerback and Mark Barron at inside linebacker. Then, the Steelers traded up 10 spots to select inside linebacker Devin Bush with the No. 10 overall pick. Bush led all players with 18 tackles in the preseason, providing sideline-to-sideline speed that the Steelers have lacked since Ryan Shazier’s injury two seasons ago.

“There is always something to work on, but I feel good about going through this preseason and getting the feel of how games go and the preparation,” Bush said. “I feel like I’m in the right spot.”

Kelly is just one example of an unheralded player making an impact in the preseason. Others included sixth-round pick Ulysees Gilbert III at inside linebacker and undrafted free agent Tuzar Skipper at outside linebacker.

“I thought they did a great job all throughout the preseason,” Heyward said. “We got to see some fresh faces. We got to see some guys in different spots. The Carolina game has made a lot of guys in the past, and it will be interesting to see who makes the team.”

Bush had a team-high six tackles against the Panthers while playing only into the second quarter. Skipper finished with five sacks, including two more Thursday night. He also had two tackles on special teams in his first extensive playing time on that unit.

“I’m super excited for him and his career,” Bush said of Skipper. “I think he’s a hell of a player on defense and special teams. He’s a guy that brings it every day and has an excitement about him.”

Heyward feels the same way about the defense as a whole. He’s just hoping that, unlike previous seasons, he doesn’t eventually have his heart ripped to pieces.