Over the last few years, Pittsburgh Steelers standout defensive lineman and team captain Cameron Heyward has heard all the jokes about his age, the gray in his beard, and the belief that at some point the bottom is going to fall out from underneath him as a high-level player.
A majority of the time, Heyward just brushes it off. But no more.
Heyward is sending a message regarding his age and his belief that he can remain a high-level player by sitting out voluntary Organized Team Activities for the Steelers while seeking a new contract as he enters the final year of his deal.
At least, that’s what the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko believes. Appearing on the “North Shore Drive” podcast Friday morning with host Christopher Carter, Batko stated that he believes Heyward doesn’t want to be “put out to pasture” and has taken exception to the age jokes and belief that he’ll fall off.
“We’ve all in the media kind of made, and teammates and coaches as well, sort of make jokes about Cam’s age and some gray in the beard and how he’s been around forever. The guys that he played with, Troy Polamalu, Hines Ward, Casey Hampton, whatnot. But he always kind of takes exception to that,” Batko said, according to video via the Post-Gazette on YouTube. “And I wonder if part of that is…just it’s ingrained in him that he thinks he can still keep going for a long time and he doesn’t wanna be told that, ‘Yeah, you were drafted way back in 2011. Not too many guys still kicking it from that class in the NFL.’
“He doesn’t want to be told that, ‘Yeah, we’re just gonna have to kind off put you out to pasture and you’ll have to take a home hometown discount if you wanna stick around as we move along to the next generation of d-linemen.'”
The jokes have written themselves regarding Heyward and his age. Sometimes, he’s simply embraced them and cracked jokes about his age himself. It’s not often you see a 35-year-old defensive lineman in the NFL, let alone a 35-year-old defensive lineman dominating.
But Heyward did that, at least up until last season, one that was derailed by injury. Once he returned to the field after surgery, he wasn’t himself, though his presence was felt from a run defense standpoint. Late in the season he started to round into form again and then looked like his usual self in the AFC Wild Card loss to the Bills.
But there are questions about him being able to be that dominant self again in 2024, which is the final year of his contract. The Steelers might be in a wait-and-see approach with Heyward, especially at his age. That’s certainly fair.
He’s 35 at a very demanding position physically from a snap-to-snap basis. Strength remains his calling card, but can he still be that heavy-snaps guy the Steelers can rely on up front? That remains to be seen, though it’s unfair to call him injury prone because he missed a bunch of time last season with a serious injury.
Batko hits on a key point though: that drive from Heyward to prove people wrong. That’s what has made him into one of the best defensive linemen of his generation, period. He has always had a sizable chip on his shoulder and that’s pushed him to outwork, out-prepare and ultimately outplay many over the years.
Chances seem high that Heyward gets a new contract before training camp and remains a Steeler for life. But for now, there’s a clear chip on his shoulder and a desire to prove people wrong again, which he’s done much of his career.
