Cameron Heyward practices, Russell Wilson does not on 1st day of Steelers' training camp

Of the two oldest players on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster, one did not participate in the first training camp workout Thursday.

And it wasn’t the old-timer most people would have expected to skip the opening session.

Cameron Heyward, the 35-year-old defensive end seeking a new contract, was an active participant on Chuck Noll Field at Saint Vincent, a potential hold-in stance while he awaits an extension never materializing.

Instead, it was the other 35-year-old player on the roster who surprisingly wore a baseball cap and T-shirt while the rest of his teammates went through a 90-minute practice session.

Quarterback Russell Wilson, the Steelers’ highest-profile offseason addition, was scratched because of calf tightness that he experienced when he awakened. Justin Fields, the other significant member of a revamped quarterback room, took first-team snaps in Wilson’s absence.

“Starts aren’t always ideal, but that’s life,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “It was my decision to sit him down and create a little short-term discomfort for him, not allowing a small problem to become a bigger problem.”

No problem of any nature materialized for Heyward, who participated in team and individual portions of practice. Heyward skipped the first two weeks of voluntary organized team activities as a statement toward his unsettled contract situation, but he never considered sitting out — or even holding in by skipping team drills — once training camp opened.

“Just taking it day by day,” Heyward said. “I’m locked in trying to get better.”

The final year of Heyward’s contract counts $22.4 million against the salary cap, the second-highest allocation on the roster. Unless an extension is reached, he will become a free agent in March. The Steelers do not negotiate once the regular season begins, so any extension struck this year will have to occur before Sept. 8.

“This is usually an active time for us,” general manager Omar Khan said, “but there’s nothing to report now.”

In the next breath, Khan expressed a willingness to keep Heyward with the Steelers for the rest of his career. Heyward is entering his 14th season in the NFL and reiterated that he plans to play through 2026.

“I think Cam has a lot of football ahead of him still,” Khan said. “I’ll leave it at this: I expect him to be here for years to come.”

For his part, Heyward is trying to tamp down any optimism that he will finish his career with the Steelers, who selected him in the first round of the 2011 draft.

“Am I confident? I don’t like to go either way with that because you get your hopes up, and something doesn’t happen,” he said. “I’m just going to focus on being the best player I can be and controlling what I can control and being locked in for this team.

“I’ll keep saying it: This team needs my leadership, my production, and I look forward to doing that.”

A year after he reached double digits in sacks for a second consecutive season, Heyward recorded just two in 11 games last season. It was his lowest sacks total since he became a starter in 2013.

A groin injury he aggravated in the season opener led to a stint on injured reserve and limited Heyward’s ability to rush the passer once he returned. He gutted through the remainder of the season, often missing practice time to heal, before undergoing a second surgery on his groin.

“I feel good, and my groin is great,” he said. “I don’t feel any lingering effects from that. I’m excited to be out here after dealing with what I dealt with last year. … To be full strength is a really good sign for me.”

When he ended his hiatus from voluntary workouts in June, Heyward said he was committed to showing he still is one of the NFL’s top defensive linemen. He has been selected a first-team All-Pro three times and had a run of six consecutive Pro Bowl selections interrupted last year.

“I’m not trying to prove it to anybody but myself,” he said Thursday. “I’m going to continue to keep working and the goals I set are lofty, but it’s about me reaching them and pushing myself.”

The ultimate goal for Heyward, of course, is getting to the Super Bowl. He was finishing his college career at Ohio State when the Steelers last appeared after the 2010 season. Tomlin is 3-8 in postseason games since then and hasn’t earned a playoff victory since 2016, a run to the AFC championship game that Heyward missed because of a pectoral injury.

“Win number seven: That is the goal over everything,” Heyward said. “I can talk about other goals, whether it’s getting back to the Pro Bowl, being All-Pro, but to win a Super Bowl here and to win it with this team, that is what I want to cement my legacy with.”