The Pittsburgh Steelers got some good news Thursday ahead of their Week 16 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers not only lost their third-straight game last Saturday, their longest-tenured player and captain Cam Heyward was entered into the NFL concussion protocol following the game. With Heyward progressing to a full participant on Wednesday after starting the week as limited, it was announced by Steelers Senior Director of Communications Burt Lauten that he was cleared by the independent neurologist and is out of the protocol.

#Steelers DT Cam Heyward has been cleared by an independent neurological consultant and is no longer in the concussion protocol.

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) December 21, 2023

It’s not certain at what point in the game Heyward delt with the injury, but it was announced on Saturday he was in the protocol. In order to be clear, Heyward had to go through all five phases. For those who are uncertain how the NFL concussion protocol works, here is an outline of each phase from NFL.com:

PHASE 1: SYMPTOM LIMITED ACTIVITY
The player is prescribed rest, limiting or, if necessary, avoiding activities (both physical and
cognitive) which increase or aggravate symptoms. Under athletic training staff supervision,
limited stretching and balance training can be introduced, progressing to light aerobic exercise,
all as tolerated.

PHASE 2: AEROBIC EXERCISE
Under direct oversight of the team’s medical staff, the player should begin graduated
cardiovascular exercise and may also engage in dynamic stretching and balance training.
Neurocognitive and balance testing can be administered after completion of Phase Two and
the results should be interpreted as back to baseline.

PHASE 3: FOOTBALL-SPECIFIC EXERCISE
The player continues with supervised cardiovascular exercises that are increased and may
mimic sport-specific activities, and supervised strength training is introduced. The player is
allowed to practice with the team in sport-specific exercise for 30 minutes or less with
ongoing and careful monitoring.

PHASE 4: CLUB-BASED NON-CONTACT TRAINING DRILLS
The player continues cardiovascular, strength and balance training, team-based sports-specific
exercise, and participates in non-contact football activities (e.g.throwing, catching, running, and
other position-specific activities). Neurocognitive and balance testing should be completed no
later than the end of Phase Four with the results interpreted as back to baseline.

PHASE 5: FULL FOOTBALL ACTIVITY / CLEARANCE
Upon clearance by the Club physician for full football activity involving contact, the player
must be examined by the Independent Neurological Consultant (INC) assigned to his Club. If the
INC concurs with the Club physician that the player’s concussion has resolved, he may
participate in his Club’s next practice or game.

When it comes to concussions, there are no two that are usually the same. While Hayward went into the protocol on Saturday and was able to be cleared by Wednesday, other players can take much longer to move through the process. For example, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is expected to miss his second game in a row as he is still in the NFL concussion protocol in his second week.

After missing six games this season with a groin injury, Cam Heyward is trying to get back on track for 2023 at the age of 34. Coming off a tough outing against the Indianapolis Colts, Heyward will be able to have one less hole that will need to be filled on the Steelers defense that has been decimated with injuries late in the season.

Stay tuned to Steel Curtain Network’s continued coverage of the Pittsburgh Steelers as they prepare to host their final home game of the 2023 NFL against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday afternoon.