For each of the last two seasons and the third time in his career, Cam Heyward reached double-digit sacks in 2022. If he wants to do it in 2023, he’ll be fighting a lot of history. And a whole lot of time.
Heading into his age-34 season, Heyward shows little signs of slowing down. He, like the rest of the Steelers’ pass rush, disappeared after T.J. Watt’s Week One injury last year. But Watt’s return brought out the best in everyone and took some of the attention and line slides away from Heyward and he finished the year on a heater, 5.5 sacks over his last three games. Heyward literally bookended the season with sacks, recording one on the Steelers’ first and last play of the season. The latter got him over the double-digit mark.
But Father Time always wins. It’s just a question of when. And 34 years old might be the line in the sand.
Since 2000, only two interior defensive linemen in their age-34 season or older have finished a season with 10-plus sacks. Several edge rushers have done it, most recently Brandon Graham in 2022, but it’s far more uncommon for the bigger guys between the tackles. Here’s the short list of two notable names who’ve done it in the 21st century.
Double-Digit Sack Seasons By DTs, 34+ Years Old (Since 2000)
1. Warren Sapp – 10 (2006)
2. John Randle – 11 (2001)
Two Hall of Famers in Sapp and Randle, both of whom who were 34 years old when they hit their final double-digit sack season. A short, elite list, and something no player has done in more than 15 years. Heyward will try to end that drought.
He’s certainly capable of doing it. His fastball, his power rushes, are still there. He’s proven to be healthy with great conditioning, and few players possess the effort and hustle he does. But when pass rushers turn 34, they lose some of their juice. Even EDGE rushers don’t have a great track record. Graham was the first defensive end to hit that mark since 2017 and he was part of the Eagles’ historically strong pass rush, a unit that finished with 70 sacks. Since 2007, there’s only been eight instances of any player at least 34 years old cracking double-digits, a list that’s concentrated to a handful of repeat players: Julius Peppers, Cameron Wake, and John Abraham.
It’s worth noting after Sapp and Randle had those years, their respective careers quickly wrapped up. Sapp played just one more season, recording a lousy two sacks in 2007, while Randle’s sack totals fell from seven to 5.5 before he retired.
Pittsburgh needs its pass rush to return to form. Primarily due to Watt’s injury, the Steelers broke their five-year streak of recording 50-plus sacks, finishing last year with a lowly 40. That should be rectified. But Heyward will be counted on as a primary source of pass rush along the interior. His ability to push and collapse the pocket helps Watt, Alex Highsmith, and the EDGE rushers, forcing the quarterback to drift or bail into their waiting arms. Larry Ogunjobi finished last season with only 1.5 sacks and while rookie NT Keeanu Benton has flashed as a pass rusher, it’d be a shock to see him reach even five sacks. Heyward will make up a large chunk of the Steelers’ interior pass rush production and any fall-off by him would be tough to replace.
Of course, he can finish the year with say, nine sacks, and the Steelers’ season won’t look much different. Adjust the historical production and the names remain the same, just Sapp and Randle (in fact, Sapp and Randle are the only pair with at least seven sacks at that age). That signals that either Heyward is going to fall off very quickly or he’ll buck the trend and give the middle finger to Father Time.
For at least one more season.
