Cam Heyward took to Twitter Friday to vent about fans and/or media looking to turn the page on his Pittsburgh Steelers career. Entering his mid-30s and coming off a down year due to injury, Heyward expressed frustration over working hard to return to action midseason only to hear calls for him to retire or the team to cut him.
The 2023 season was a lost one for Heyward. Tweaking his groin in camp, Heyward hoped it would heal by the start of the season. Despite extra rest days, he completely tore his groin in the Steelers’ regular season opened. Placed on injured reserve and underdoing surgery, he missed the next two months before returning for the team’s Week Nine game against the Tennessee Titans.
While Heyward boosted the Steelers’ defense, it was obvious he wasn’t close to 100 percent. It was difficult for him to run or explode off the snap, losing the power on his pass rush that made him among football’s top interior defensive lineman. Appearing in 11 games, Heyward finished with just two sacks, his lowest total since 2012.
Recently, Heyward posted a photo of him undergoing a second surgery, reportedly a clean-up procedure on his injured groin. Since the season ended, Heyward’s opened up about the difficulty of returning, hardly able to practice most weeks and his body compensating for a groin injury that never fully healed.
Heyward’s also been adamant he won’t entertain taking a pay cut. Even with Friday’s record salary cap announcement, it’s still likely the team will re-work his contract, most likely in the form of an extension to reduce his 2024 cap charge.
With poor d-line depth, the Steelers need Heyward to look like his old self in 2024. Even so, they must improve their depth and get younger. Re-signing Armon Watts will be important as will adding at least one more defensive lineman in the draft or through free agency. Allowing Keeanu Benton to have a larger role, particularly in sub-packages, will also be key.
Drafted in 2011, Heyward is tied with James Harrison for the second-most sacks in Steelers’ history, each sitting at 80.5. He will go down in team history as one of the franchise’s best defensive lineman, something he’s hopefully able to display again in 2024. It sure seems like he’s keeping receipts.
