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The Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off their work week by making a few roster moves, including a former New York Giants starter. For starters, the team announced on December 27 that veteran Marcus Allen was placed on the reserve injured list.
The special teams ace and safety turned linebacker underwent surgery on the injured bicep he sustained during Pittsburgh’s Christmas Eve 13-10 victory over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders.
Selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft, Allen has contributed 12 tackles on special teams.
Expect rookie Mark Robinson to get a helmet in place of Allen who’s shut down for the season.
The Steelers also signed safety Scott Nelson to the practice squad and poached one-time starter Tae Crowder off the Giants practice squad. NFL practice squad policy is that the poached player must be signed to the new team’s 53-man roster.
Crowder was the “Mr. Irrelevant” of the 2020 NFL draft (No. 255 overall), a title given to the final player selected.
Crowder had played in a total of 40 games, with 28 starts, in three seasons. The University of Georgia product logged 229 tackles, including 122 solo stops, two sacks, eight passes defensed, two interceptions and two forced fumbles, according to Pro Football Reference.
Nelson signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL draft but was released during final roster cuts.
Cam Heyward Named Defensive Player of the Week
Pittsburgh Steelers captain Cam Heyward was rewarded for his dominant Week 16 performance versus the Raiders by being named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Heyward helped lead a defensive performance that held the Raiders to only 10 points in the Steelers’ 13-10 win.
Heyward had seven tackles (three for a loss), 2.0 sacks and one defended pass. His three tackles for loss were a season-high. According to Steelers.com, he was the only AFC defender to record multiple sacks in Week 16.
When asked if Heyward was playing with more energy or emotion, Heyward joked, “Got a little nap in the middle of the day,” said Heyward in a post-game press conference. “Kids weren’t jumping too much on me. Got to wrap some presents when I get home.
“I think for me it was just we’re still in the hunt,” he added. “We just got to take it one game at a time. But I like to think we just keep getting better and better as the weeks go on.”
It’s been four seasons since Heyward last won Defensive Player of the Week honors (Weeks 4 and 12 in 2017). He’s the third Steelers player to win it this season, joining Minkah Fitzpatrick (Week 1) and Alex Highsmith (Week 10).
Cam Heyward on Franco Harris
Cam Heyward had the honor of coming out of the tunnel during player introductions carrying a No. 32 flag in memory of the late Franco Harris.
“I think for us it was just a tip of a cap to not only just a Steelers legend, but a great man, a person in this the community who you could always count on, a guy that even when he retired, he still wanted to be your teammate,” said Heyward.
From the time Heyward set foot in Steelers facilities, Harris was there for him.
“I can say from my time being here, Franco was welcoming me with open arms. It was — with everything building up to this and getting the chance to talk to Franco, I think there are so many joyous moments we’ve had with him, and it hurt so many in this community to lose a guy like that.”
A common theme among the thoughts shared after Harris’ death was his genuine kindness.
“But you knew he lived a full life, and you knew he was loved by so many people,” Heyward said. “There are so many outstanding men that love him, Mean Joe (Greene), Mel Blount, countless others, Terry Bradshaw. They talk to Mike T, myself, Najee Harris. Decades and decades go on, but we still cared for a man that brought so much to us.
“To just say that we loved him, we’ll continue to love him, and we appreciate all that’s done for us.”
