Despite coming off of his second straight 10+ sack season and earning another Pro Bowl nod, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward continues to slide down the rankings at the defensive line position from CBS Sports.
Heyward landed at No. 6 overall in the rankings Wednesday afternoon, finding himself behind the likes of Indianapolis’s DeForest Buckner and New York’s Dexter Lawrence, but ahead of Tennessee’s Jeffrey Simmons in the rankings from CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr.
“Even at 34 years old, Heyward is still among the very best to do it at his position. The Steelers mainstay had another double-digit sack season in 2022, taking the quarterback down 10.5 times, while adding 74 tackles, and four pass breakups,” Kerr writes regarding the positional rankings along the defensive line. “He’s reached the Pro Bowl in each of his last six seasons and was named to an All-Pro team four times over that stretch. Heyward is aging like fine wine and remains a top defensive tackle heading into this season.”
Entering his age 34 season, Heyward somehow continues to get better and better at a position that is rather grueling on the body and usually sees players at that age and position start to fall off. That’s not the case with Heyward.
Last season, Heyward recorded 10 sacks for the Steelers and was a star down the stretch as the Steelers made the push towards a playoff berth.
Heyward played at an All-Pro level in 2022 and closed out his 12th season in strong fashion, recording 5.5 sacks in the final four games of the season, helping the Steelers go 3-1 down the stretch and remain in playoff contention right until the very end. Assuming health not only for himself, but for key pieces around him in the Steelers’ defensive front, Heyward should have another great season in 2023 and add to his growing Hall of Fame resume.
He’s a perennial All-Pro and Pro Bowler, the face of the Steelers and is also quietly putting together a Hall of Fame resume in the trenches.
Through 12 seasons, Heyward has 614 tackles, 78,5 sacks, two interceptions, 115 tackles for loss, 176 quarterback hits, 46 pass deflections, seven fumble recoveries and eight forced fumbles, earning four All-Pro accolades and six trips to the Pro Bowl.
While Kerr states multiple times that Heyward is a dominant player and one of the best at his position in the NFL, ranking him at No. 6 feels rather low. He’s a better player than Buckner and is more impactful than Lawrence. A case can be made that he’s better than New York’s Quinnen Williams, too, who landed at No. 3 overall.
