Even at the age of 34, Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive lineman Cameron Heyward remains force in the trenches for the Black and Gold.
Heyward, who cracked the NFL’s Top 100 players rankings earlier in the summer at N0. 45 overall, added to his summer accolades Tuesday morning, landing at No. 68 overall in Touchdown Wire’s Top 101 players from Doug Farrar.
Along with his ranking at No. 68 overall, Heyward was ranked No. 9 overall at the interior defensive line position from Farrar.
“Another year, another amazing season for Heyward, who is quietly building himself a Hall of Fame resume,” Farrar writes regarding Heyward’s ranking inside the top 101. “With six Pro Bowl nominations and three All-Pro nods, Heyward has reached a precipitous altitude, and he shows no signs of slowing down. In 2022, with an injured T.J. Watt and not a ton of juice around him in the interior defensive line (Larry Ogunjobi excepted), Heyward did what he does — he totaled 12 sacks (his most in a season since 2017), 10 quarterback hits, 36 quarterback hurries, and 43 stops.”
The 2022 season was arguably one of the best of Heyward’s career.
Last season, Heyward played 801 snaps, grading out at an 89.8 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a 78.2 run defense and a 78.5 pass rush grade. Along with the 36 total hurriers, Heyward was credited with 58 pressures on the season from PFF.
Even without star outside linebacker T.J. Watt on the opposite side of him for seven games, Heyward finished with 10.5 sacks (PFF gives him 12 sacks because it doesn’t do half sacks), along with the 10 quarterback hits, 36 hurries and 43 run stops that Farrar points out.
Those six Pro Bowl selections have come in six straight seasons, too, while the All-Pro accolades have come since 2017, though it feels like he was snubbed last season.
Entering his 13th NFL season, the power and overall explosiveness from Heyward remains among the elite. His bull rush is seemingly undefeated and has helped him change games throughout his career.
Drafted in the first round in 2011, Heyward has already logged 12 NFL seasons, all in Pittsburgh. Entering the 2023 season, Heyward should break James Harrison’s team sack record in 2023, though he will have to get there before Watt does as they’re neck and neck.
Heyward has had one of the more remarkable second-half careers in the Black and Gold. Since 2017, after suffering a torn triceps, he has played at another level as evidenced by his current Pro Bowl streak. He’s tallied 53.5 sacks with 396 tackles, 73 tackles for loss, 122 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles, two interceptions, and 28 passes defensed in the past six years.
Though he’s a bit lower in the Top 101 from Farrar than he was in the Top 100 as voted on by the players, the fact remains: Cameron Heyward is an elite-level player and continues to impress even as he ages at a demanding position.
