Buy Or Sell: Cameron Heyward will play his last season as a Steeler in 2024.
Explanation: Heyward is only under contract for the 2024 season, and many beat writers doubt the team keeps him on the books with a cap hit over $22 million. In his age-35 season coming off a significant injury, he has a lot to prove. But even if he proves he can still play this year, he could play elsewhere after 2024.
Buy:
Everybody loses to Father Time, but some give him a better run than others. Heyward has bested him for the past several years, dominating in his 30s, but he didn’t escape unscathed. He played last season through a groin injury that robbed him of six games, and his performance reflects that.
The Steelers seem to know that the Heyward clock is ticking quickly, and the defensive line is a priority. They have tried to stock the shelves with talent, drafting DeMarvin Leal in the third round in 2022. Last year’s second-round pick, Keeanu Benton, could be a find. But they likely add one or more significant pieces this offseason.
Not every great player ends his career on his terms. Troy Polamalu and Hines Ward didn’t. Both chose to retire after the Steelers decided to move on. Heyward could do the same after this season. Or he could play somewhere else like Calais Campbell and J.J. Watt.
Sell:
Cameron Heyward is one of those players who embody Steelers football. I don’t see the organization doing wrong by him. And I also don’t see him suddenly falling off a cliff. Considering the injury he played through, he showed enough to believe he can still be a significant factor when healthy.
He should prove that on the field in 2024, assuming of course that he is healthy. After that, he has to lower his salary expectations, but I don’t see him playing anywhere else. He comes back in 2025 on a much more affordable contract and keeps playing as long as he can. Brett Keisel played in 2014 at age 36. They played Tyson Alualu at 35 in 2022. And James Harrison played almost 600 snaps at age 38 in 2016. This may be the end of Heyward’s prime era, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still play effectively in the second half of his 30s.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
