Cameron Heyward

Cameron Heyward suffers high ankle sprain in Steelers' preseason game

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward was carted off the field with a high ankle sprain in Friday night's third preseason game.

What It Means:

Heyward is coming off a seven-sack season and also excels in run defense. For his part, Heyward promised he would "be there Week 1." High ankle sprains can have four-to-six week initial timelines, but they also vary in severity and may linger. It would be a major blow to Pittsburgh's defense if Heyward were to miss the opener against Washington. The Steelers are thin on the defensive line.

Our algorithms projected Heyward for 56.29 tackles and 8.49 sacks in 2016 before this injury news. The Steelers ranked ninth in the league in Adjusted Defensive Net Expected Points per play last season.