Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward feels for his team’s 2020 rookie class and has a pretty good idea of what they’re going through. When Heyward was drafted in 2011, the NFL was amidst a work stoppage stemming from the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The lockout lasted 132 days, from March 12 to July 25. During the lockout, players were not allowed at NFL training sites, and coaches were not permitted to assist players, even with the playbook.
Thankfully, Heyward’s new teammates have things a little better than he did. The new class can meet virtually with Steelers coaches and veterans. Under the league-wide rules created for the COVID-19 pandemic, players have been provided tablet devices that contain partial playbooks and other instructions. The team even wrapped up a three-day rookie minicamp on Sunday.
“Man, you get drafted and then like literally don’t know what’s going on, you’re kind of running around with your head cut off,’’ Heyward said during a phone interview with Ed Bouchette of The Athletic. “We didn’t have these virtual meetings. It was just literally a complete cluster.”
Due to nationwide gym closures and workout equipment in short supply in stores or online, Steelers rookies are at another disadvantage. Those who did not already have equipment at home or access to a private gym are left to get more creative with conditioning — like push or pull pickup trucks or run for cardio.
Heyward and his fellow 2011 rookie class were authorized to join Steelers training camp after it was already underway, but since they didn’t have prior access to a playbook, they were lost.
“I was a little bit confused going in,” said Heyward. “I didn’t even know how to train right.”
It wasn’t until Heyward’s third season that he started a game, partially because he was so behind once he was able to join his team at camp.
This year, there’s little chance there will be a training camp — at least not a traditional one.
“You never think of starting off this way because those rookies need those physical reps to understand the feel of the game, the speed of the game, to really understand where everyone’s going,” Heyward said. “Virtual can only do so much, but it does give a chance for rookies to ask questions and at least become accustomed to the coach.”
With the lack of team practice and conditioning, rookies will find themselves at a significant competitive disadvantage.
Even the rookies who make the team (beyond first- and second-round picks, nothing is guaranteed) may not be able to have as much of an immediate impact they would during a typical season — if there is a season.
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