Steelers' Cam Heyward Talks Playing Amid COVID-19, Possibly Sitting out for 2020

Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive lineman Cam Heyward hasn't yet committed to playing in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.  

During an appearance on NFL Network's NFL Now on Tuesday (h/t NFL.com's Nick Shook), Heyward discussed the considerations he is weighing ahead of the 2020 NFL season:

"Well, you know, as of right now, I haven't thought that way. Currently I've been working out, just trying to get ready, but I have to have these talks with my family and make sure I take every precaution if I'm gonna go back. We don't have a vaccine. We're still dealing with a lot of testing and things have to fall in place. I have to do what's right for family. I have to make sure I don't jeopardize them as well as myself."

Although Heyward is preparing to play, the fact that he has asthma—meaning COVID-19 could impact him more than others—has resulted in him taking a cautious approach thus far.

Teams still haven't been able to officially meet in person because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Pash said last week that the league still expects training camp to start on time, which is July 28 at the latest.

That will essentially give teams about six weeks to prepare for the start of the regular season, which is normally enough but could be a challenge this year because of the lack of in-person organized team activities.

Heyward, who is the Steelers' NFLPA player representative, told NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano that none of his peers have told him that they plan to sit out the season:

"Not at the time. Everyone I've heard from is just trying to find out more information because they want to go back to football. We're gonna have to be very smart about this. This isn't a decision that's made in one or two days due to not having a vaccine and still dealing with this. We got to make sure that every player and every family feels safe doing this."

The 31-year-old Heyward is one of the Steelers' best players, as he has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the past three seasons and has been selected as an All-Pro two of the past three years.

Heyward set a career-high with 12 sacks in 2017, but he was arguably even better in 2019, with a career-high 83 tackles to go along with nine sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 23 quarterback hits and six passes defended.

The former Ohio State standout's versatility along the defensive line is a big reason why the Steelers have been so successful on that side of the ball in recent years. Last season, Pittsburgh was fifth in the NFL in total defense and points allowed and first in sacks with 54.

Heyward played a big role in those numbers individually, and he also freed up room for others—like linebacker T.J. Watt, who finished with a career-high 14.5 sacks and was third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.

If Heyward doesn't play in 2020, the Steelers would not only miss his production, but they would miss the opportunities he creates for his teammates.

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Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.