Entering his 13th NFL season, Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward has accomplished quite a bit in his Black and Gold career.
He’ll be the first to tell you he’s still got much to prove in his career despite his credentials, which has endeared him to many within the Steelers’ fan base, as well as nationally.
Count Good Morning Football co-host Jason McCourty as a fan of Heyward. McCourty, who played in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots, highlighted Heyward as the one player he’s rooting for in 2023 within the Steelers’ organization.
For McCourty, it was an easy choice.
“Heyward has been such a fun player to watch — and guy to know — over the years. He’s the definition of reliable as a key cog in Pittsburgh’s defense, recording double-digit sacks in each of the past two seasons,” McCourty writes regarding Heyward as his player he’s rooting for in the Black and Gold. “Watching him play alongside his younger brother, tight end Connor Heyward, in 2022 was a fun, new wrinkle in Heyward’s illustrious career — and something that really resonates with me, as I got to play with Devin for three years in New England.”
McCourty calling Heyward reliable sums up the Steelers star quite well.
In his 12 seasons to date, Heyward has put together a sparkling resume: three first-team All-Pro and one second-team All-Pro selections, not to mention six straight trips to the Pro Bowl. Currently, Heyward sits second all-time in franchise history in sacks with 78.5, just two sacks behind James Harrison. He has missed just two games since the 2016 season — the only season in which he missed more than one game in his career, missing nine games that season due to a torn pectoral muscle.
He’s as steady and as reliable as they come and is a great leader for the franchise as it continues its transition into a new era.
McCourty highlighting Heyward playing with his younger brother, Connor, as a reason he’s rooting for Cam is pretty special, too. McCourty knows what it’s like to play with your brother as he did it in college at Rutgers and then for three seasons in New England with his twin brother, Devin.
Heyward being a team captain and providing leadership while playing with his brother provided some special moments last season, including the draft celebration in 2022 when the Steelers selected Connor in the sixth round out of Michigan State, and then the tear-jerking moment in Atlanta when Connor scored his first touchdown back in their hometown just hours after visiting their father Craig’s grave in Atlanta.
That’s not to mention the mic’d up moment that NFL Films captured late in the season as Cam watched Connor make plays in the season finale, having a special moment with head coach Mike Tomlin on the sideline.
Heyward certainly has a lot of people in his corner, McCourty now too. Hopefully he’s able to accomplish that one final thing on his personal checklist — that being a Super Bowl title — before it’s all said and done.
