For the Pittsburgh Steelers, and 29 other teams in the NFL, it’s free agency season. The Steelers have a total of 25 free agents left to either make deals with or part ways with. One of those free agents, out of the 13 offensive free agents, is Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Heyward-Bey might not be a household name in Pittsburgh. Some might remember him from his days with the Oakland Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts, where he mostly earned a bad rap sheet for continuously dropping the football. However with the Steelers, Heyward-Bey is more quiet.
This past season, the seven-year veteran appeared in 16 games, but only started four. For the entire season, Heyward-Bey caught only 21 footballs, but ran them for 314 yards. Heyward-Bey’s longest reception came against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17, as he ran his reception for 66 yards.
However, Heyward-Bey’s best game came against the San Fransisco 49ers in Week 2. Heyward-Bey caught four passes for 77 yards and scored a touchdown. His second touchdown of the year came against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4.
A good sign for the receiver is that this year he did not fumble the ball once. Heyward-Bey was also a regular on special teams plays and recorded four tackles on special teams for the 2015-2016 season.
Heyward-Bey is certainly an option for the Steelers to keep around in the wide receiving corps. However, the emergence of rookie Sammie Coats in the last few games of the season has the Steelers and their fans buzzing. If the Steelers are going to replace Heyward-Bey with anyone, it will certainly be Coats.
If the Steelers decide to keep Heyward-Bey around, look for him to be the team’s number five or number six receiver. Coats, Heyward-Bey, and possibly a rookie that the Steelers could draft in the upcoming NFL Draft will certainly be the receivers to watch in the Steelers mini camps and eventually the training camp, come summer.
Another strong reason to keep Heyward-Bey around is the veteran presence. Heyward-Bey and Antonio Brown, who has been in the NFL for six years. Behind them is Markus Wheaton, who just finished his third season with the Steelers. Wheaton is still learning and isn’t really considered a veteran presence. Brown and Heyward-Bey will serve as mentors to Wheaton, Martavis Bryant, Coates, and even Tyler Murphy and Shakim Phillips who are respectively on the practice squad (Murphy) and on a Reserve/Future contract (Phillips).
The Steelers certainly have some time to think of their options. As mentioned, the NFL Draft is near, and the Steelers could certainly draft a receiver or two. There are also plenty of free agents in the wide receiver category in the NFL. The Steelers certainly a crop of players to choose from with a wide range of early players and even veterans.
Photo credit: Steelers.com
