Cameron Heyward could miss next two months

Steelers DL Cameron Heyward is expected to land on IR for the groin injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the 49ers, NFL Network reports. it's not yet clear how long Heyward will be out, and surgery remains an option. We'll watch for further updates, but you shouldn't plan to have Heyward available to your IDP lineup for the foreseeable future. We're not taking the veteran completely out of our rest-of-season rankings just yet. But he'll likely be droppable in most IDP formats. And you shouldn't look to the Steelers depth chart for a replacement. No Pittsburgh interior lineman played more than 63% of the snaps in the opener, with Larry Ogunjobi the leader.

Update: Heyward will have surgery and is expected to miss up to eight weeks, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Steelers announced Thursday that DL Cameron Heyward has cleared the concussion protocol. Rather than publicly ponder whether Pittsburgh's concussion process should get league review after Heyward, T.J. Watt, and Alex HIghsmith all cleared in time for the game following their injuries ... we'll just go ahead and get Heyward into the Week 16 DL rankings. He's a decent IDP option against a Bengals team that did allow him a sack last time. But Heyward hasn't generated more than 2 pressures in a game this year. He's a solid bet for tackles -- including a tackle for loss -- but a less-good bet for sack production.

The Steelers placed DL Cameron Heyward in the concussion protocol after Saturday's loss to the Colts. That'll challenge his availability for next Saturday's matchup with the Bengals. We'll watch Heyward's progress through the week.

The Steelers have activated DL Cameron Heyward from IR. The veteran has been out since suffering a groin injury in Week 1 that required surgery. His return should boost a Pittsburgh run defense that has slipped to 14th in DVOA this season after ranking fifth in that category last year. Heyward, of course, is also a pass-rush asset at full strength. He tallied 20.5 sacks over the past two seasons and tied his career high with 23 QB hits at age 33 last year. It's tough to recommend playing Heyward in Week 9 IDP lineups after an eight-week layoff. We wouldn't be surprised if Pittsburgh brings him back at less than full playing time. But Heyward is worth stashing now in plenty of leagues for whenever he does get back to full use.

Steelers DL Cameron Heyward returned to practice this week after being out since Week 1 with a core injury. He close out the week with a full Friday practice. Pittsburgh hasn't yet activated him from IR, though. Steelers Depot says he won't play against the Jaguars in Week 8. But the veteran appears to be trending toward a return by Week 9. Heyward's return could alter a Pittsburgh run defense that has played soft this season. We'll watch for further developments in his status.

Steelers DL Cameron Heyward left Sunday's loss to the 49ers with a groin injury. He tried to return but left again shortly thereafter and missed the rest of the game. We'll see about the severity heading into Week 2.