Sep 2, 2026 4 min read

Eli Heidenreich of Mt. Lebanon is officially a Pittsburgh Steeler.

The son of David and Tara Heidenreich was one of 11 rookies the Steelers kept when they made their final cuts for their initial 53-man roster. Pittsburgh also kept all 10 of its 2026 NFL Draft picks.

A 6-foot, 198-pound running back, Heidenreich was selected by the Steelers in the seventh and final round of the NFL Draft, which was held in Pittsburgh.

Heidenreich entered the NFL world with much fanfare.

On April 25, on a stage set up outside Acrisure Stadium, where he now will play, Heidenreich was announced as the 230th overall draft pick by the Steelers. He walked out dressed in his Navy blue uniform and waving a Terrible Towel.

On the day the Steelers opened training camp on July 28, Heidenreich turned 23.

Though dogged by a hamstring injury during the preseason, Heidenreich made a splash in the final exhibition game played Aug. 27 against the Buffalo Bills in the newly built Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.

In a 28-27 loss, he solidified his spot on the roster as the No. 3 running back by rushing for 35 yards on nine carries and scoring his first touchdown. He also made a tackle on the opening kickoff of the game and returned two kickoffs for 47 yards.

Also, in the preseason game, Heidenreich played together again with former teammate Alex Tecza, also of Mt. Lebanon. Tecza contributed on special teams with key blocks during a punt return, but later was cut from the Steelers after having been signed Aug. 24.

Heidenreich and Tecza both played on Mt. Lebanon’s undefeated WPIAL and PIAA championship team in 2021. They later excelled at the United States Naval Academy and their appearance together in the Steelers game marked the second time former Midshipmen played in an NFL game on the same team.

“What an incredible night for Eli and Alex, for Navy football, the Naval Academy and the United States Marine Corps,” said Midshipmen head football coach Brian Newberry. “Those two young men represent everything our program and the Naval Academy are about. They are tough, selfless competitors who earned this opportunity through a tremendous amount of hard work. To see them make history together as Navy football teammates and Marine Corps officers is something our entire program takes great pride in.”

Commissioned as a second lieutenant for the United States Marine Corps at commencement exercises in May, Heidenreich, by making the NFL roster, has deferred his standard full-time active-duty service commitment. Under the National Defense Authorization Act, he is able to fulfill his commitments via the reserves and PR/recruitment-related military events during the offseason.

Through football, Heidenreich was a standout ambassador for the Naval Academy as well as Mt. Lebanon High School.

At Navy, he became one of the program’s most accomplished players. Heidenreich set the school record for receiving yards last fall. He finished his career with 1,994 yards. He also had 1,157 rushing yards, including 499 as a senior.

At Mount Lebanon, he garnered all-state accolades as well as Almanac MVP laurels for a senior campaign that included 29 touchdowns, 2,266 all-purpose yards and 1,330 receiving yards. Additionally, he led the team with 60 tackles and four interceptions.

Ironically, as a result of Lebo’s 15-0 state championship season, Heidenreich and his Blue Devils were invited to watch the Steelers beat the Ravens when they won the AFC North division title in January.

Now, Heidenreich will be wearing the Pittsburgh black and gold when the 2026 NFL season opens against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 13 at Acrisure Stadium.

MORE MOVES

The 53-man NFL roster cut day impacted two other area athletes. One made the roster. One was cut.

Donovan McMillon from McMurray made the Cleveland Browns roster.

An undrafted free agent out of Pitt and a Peters Township High School graduate, McMillon is one of seven defensive backs on the Browns’ roster.

McMillon appeared in all 17 games for Cleveland last year, mainly on special teams, and made 15 tackles and recorded a sack.

Justin Watson from South Fayette was cut by the Houston Texans.

The veteran wide receiver missed most of last season with calf and achilles injuries and appeared in three games for the Texans, making three catches for 40 yards.

Watson, 30, is a three-time Super Bowl champion, winning with Tampa Bay and Kansas City.

During his non-professional career, Watson set standards at the University of Pennsylvania and led South Fayette to back-to-back WPIAL and PIAA titles. He was The Almanac’s Athlete of the Year in 2014.