Any seventh-round rookie must overcome long odds to make the 53-man roster. For all Eli Heidenreich did offensively at Navy, his path to the Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 roster is likely to come on another phase. On Friday, he acknowledged to reporters that special teams is his best path to sticking with Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n
\u201cI played all four phases at Navy throughout my three years playing there,\u201d he said via Steelers.com after today\u2019s practice.<\/a> \u201cSpecial teams is something I take pride in, I enjoy doing.<\/p>\n Heidenreich\u2019s first three days of training camp have been spent as a reserve running back. Today, he worked with the backups and reserves on the middle field of the three that dot Saint Vincent\u2019s campus. Until the pads come on, Pittsburgh has emphasized making plays through the air rather than on the ground. Heidenreich flashed his pass-catching skills during Friday\u2019s light workout,<\/a> but his most notable contributions have come on special teams.<\/p>\n So far, Heidenreich has worked as Pittsburgh\u2019s second-team personal protector, the \u201cquarterback\u201d of the punt team. The player in charge of identifying the number of potential rushers, communicating blocking paths with the long snapper, and alerting the snapper to hike the ball. A big role for a rookie, but Heidenreich can handle it thanks to his college days.<\/p>\n At Navy, he logged 247 special teams snaps, including plenty on the punt team. Pittsburgh may plan to utilize him on its kick coverage and return units, but the team hasn\u2019t practiced those yet.<\/p>\n