Cam Heyward’s not going to be happy to read this. The website Touchdown Wire continues to put together its list of the Top 11 at every position in the NFL entering 2023. While Heyward is on the list, he’s lower than any Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan would think, dropping down to #9 on author Doug Farrar’s rankings.
In writing about Heyward, Farrar praises him for still playing at a high-level in his mid-30s, noting how assignment-sound his game is. He also wrote that Heyward can do his damage from every gap and technique, making him all the more difficult to block.
“Gap versatility has always been a staple of Heyward’s brilliance — outside of Aaron Donald, no base interior defensive lineman in his era has been better at wrecking stuff from every possible alignment.”
In the breakdown, there’s no knock on why he’s down the list. Farrar notes the strong season Heyward is coming off of, picking up 10.5 sacks, the second-most he’s ever had in a single season. Only his 12 sack campaign in 2017 beats it. There were moments last season where Heyward looked mortal, he struggled in Week Two against New England Patriots’ left guard Cole Strange, but he saw more line slides with T.J. Watt out of the lineup. When Watt returned, Pittsburgh’s pass rush rounded back into form and Heyward had 7.5 sacks over his last nine games. From Week Ten and on, that ranked third in the NFL across all interior defensive linemen, only finishing behind Chris Jones and J.J. Watt.
If there is a reason to send Heyward tumbling down the rankings, it’s simply the quality of the position. The NFL boasts a ton of talented interior defensive linemen and Heyward is an aging player in a crowded room. Names ranked ahead of him include Javon Hargrave, Jeffrey Simmons, and of course, Aaron Donald, while Chris Jones took the top spot. Farrar’s list does have at least two curious names above Heyward in Washington’s Daron Payne and Indianapolis’ DeForest Buckner, but even bumping those names down would still keep Heyward out of the top five.
Still, it’s hard to say Heyward barely cracks the top ten anymore. His game has shown little signs of slowing down and his bull rush is still among the best in football. This list can be added to the chip on Heyward’s shoulder, one he’s not trying to hide as he enters his 13th NFL season.
