Cam Heyward has been a regular attendant at Steelers OTAs. What he hasn't done much of is participate.
But that has offered the Steelers the opportunity to see more of a package that includes Javon Hargrave and Stephon Tuitt as the two defensive linemen in a nickel and dime look. It might be something we see a little more of in 2018, as the coaches try to work more of a rotation up front between their two starting defensive ends, Hargrave and veteran Tyson Alualu.
Hargrave has been used a little more as a pass rusher than some of their previous nose tackles, largely because the coaches like what he can do in that facet of the game. But they also want to possibly use him more to keep their other defensive linemen fresher. When you've only got five or six 300-plus pound defensive players on your roster, you've got to use them a little more judiciously.
"He's got great get-off," Tuitt said of Hargrave. "That may happen more this season."
It would be welcomed. The Steelers know what they have in Heyward, who recorded 12 sacks last season and was named All-Pro. But they would like to see more from the other two starters on their defensive line.
They invested heavily in Tuitt last year, handing him a five-year, $60 million contract extension. And they have continued high hopes for Hargrave, a third-round pick in 2016.
If the defense is going to make a jump to the next level without the services of Ryan Shazier, it could be players such as Tuitt and Hargrave, both still just 25 years old, who help make the difference.
"From a competition standpoint, it’s what I believe I can do," Tuitt told me Tuesday. "I hope I get a chance to go out and do it. Everybody’s hungry, but I don’t know anybody hungrier than me to go back out there and really prove myself."
It's ironic Tuitt mentioned hunger. Part of Hargrave's offseason ritual, in order to try to take the next step, included fewer burgers and fries for the 6-2, 305-pound nose tackle. They were replaced by fish and vegetables.
The idea wasn't to lose weight. Part of his job is to be a plugger in the middle of the line.
No, Hargrave wanted to change the shape of his body to help improve his quickness and stamina.
"It’s not so much me losing weight, but having better weight. I wanted to tone it up and have more muscle," Hargrave told me. "I’m really at the same weight I was last year. The game has changed, it’s way faster than it is downhill football. That’s some of the things I’m trying to adjust to."
Many teams are running more finesse-type running plays rather than power. But the Steelers did have trouble with the power-running teams they played last season, most notably allowing more than 200 yards rushing to both Chicago and Jacksonville in the regular season and then giving up 164 yards rushing to the Jaguars in a playoff loss.
Though 35 of those rushing yards against Jacksonville came on designed runs and scrambles by quarterback Blake Bortles, the Jaguars were still effective enough running the ball from their base packages to keep the Steelers honest.
And that came with both Tuitt and Hargrave on the field, though both were limited by injuries. Tuitt had a partially torn biceps tendon he dealt with throughout the season that flared up in the days before the game against Jacksonville, while Hargrave suffered a back injury in practice that week.
Neither is using that as an excuse. In fact, it seems to be more of a motivating factor.
"I’m moving a lot better than I was last year, I feel," Hargrave told me. "That’s my game. I’m not really the biggest, but I am one of the quickest."
The Steelers would simply settle for one who is more consistent and effective. That's the goal, anyway.
Hargrave has 59 tackles and four sacks in 31 career games. Tuitt has 133 tackles and 14.5 sacks in 56 career games.
"I want as many reps as you can get," Hargrave said of these OTA sessions without Heyward on the field. "You just keep learning. That first year to the second year was big. I’m planning on the second year to third of me just knowing a lot more than I did last year. Your third year, it’s got to be a big year."
There's pressure to perform, to be sure. They know they got pushed around in that loss to the Jaguars. And they're intent on not allowing that to happen again.
But the pressure is nothing that's too great.
"No, I don’t think so," Tuitt told me. "Pressure is something if you don’t believe you can do it. This is a new year. I know how I can play. You know how I can play. I just want to go out and play consistent and help this team go to the ultimate goal, which is to win a Super Bowl."