Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward seems to be aging like fine wine, at least in Pro Football Focus’ mind. PFF’s Gordon McGuinness posted his interior defender rankings for the 2023 season Tuesday morning, and Heyward was fifth in the league.
“Despite being 34 years old, Heyward continues to perform at an elite level,” McGuiness wrote. “With consistent PFF grades of 89.0 or better over the past four seasons, he routinely ranks among the top players in the NFL at the position. His career can’t go on forever, but there’s no reason to expect him to drop off in 2023, considering how he performed last year.”
While it’s still a solid ranking, it’s a fall from PFF’s #2 spot a year ago. The Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald kept hold of his top spot while Kansas City’s Chris Jones, the New York Giants’ Dexter Lawrence, and the New York Jets’ Quinnen Williams finished ahead of Heyward.
Heyward had his second-straight season of double-digit sacks in 2022, bringing opposing quarterbacks down 10.5 times. He finished the season with 74 combined tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, and 23 quarterback hits. That tied his career-high that he set back in 2019. He even chipped in four passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. That fumble recovery came during the Steelers’ Week One 23-20 overtime victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, but Heyward wasn’t happy that it was ruled a fumble and recovery instead of an interception. Per Pro Football Reference, Heyward had 30 total pressures of the quarterback, his fourth-straight season of at least 30. His performance earned him his sixth-straight Pro Bowl nod.
At 34 years old, Heyward is the oldest member of the Steelers. A trio of players shares the honor of being second to him at age 32, cornerback Patrick Peterson (who is soon to turn 33), new outside linebacker Markus Golden, and kicker Chris Boswell. For a team that prides itself on its defense, Heyward is the elder statesman of the group and unsurprisingly a team captain. One of the team’s new additions this offseason, linebacker Elandon Roberts, recently expressed his excitement about working with Heyward.
After the 2022 season ended, Heyward spent some time contemplating his future before coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t done yet with the Steelers. Despite the team’s recent lack of playoff success, Heyward wants to be a part of getting the team back to where it historically belongs. He certainly has done his part in the last four seasons on the field to give the Steelers a fighting chance.
With linebacker T.J. Watt back in the fold after missing a chunk of time in 2022 due to injury, Heyward and the Steelers’ defense will certainly be looking to put the clamps on opposing offenses en route to getting the team back to the playoffs after missing the postseason last year. From there, he’ll be looking to win his first playoff game since 2016, his sixth season in the league. If Heyward lives up to his billing as the fifth-best interior defensive lineman in the league, that will certainly help the team achieve success.
