There is no denying that, despite his best efforts to push through injury and return quicker from surgery than he probably should have, Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive lineman Cameron Heyward wasn’t his usual self in 2023.
Despite the injury-ravaged year, Heyward remains revered as one of the very best along the defensive line in the NFL, even at 35 years old.
In Pro Football Focus’s defensive lineman rankings Thursday, Heyward checked in at No. 5 overall, behind only the likes of Kansas City’s Chris Jones, the New York Giants’ Dexter Lawrence, the New York Jets’ Quinnen Williams and Carolina’s Derrick Brown.
“Heyward, one of the few remaining players from the outstanding 2011 draft class, is still playing outstanding football for the Pittsburgh Steelers,” PFF’s Sam Monson writes regarding Heyward’s ranking. “Injury caused him to miss some time in 2023, but in the four seasons before that, he was averaging a PFF overall grade above 90.0.
“At 35, Heyward is still a force to be reckoned with until he walks away.”
Throughout his career, Heyward has been that force to be reckoned with. After working as a depth piece during his first two seasons in 2011 and 2012, Heyward became a starter in 2013 and took off for the Steelers, going on quite a run in the Black and Gold, putting himself in the elite echelon of defensive linemen in the NFL.
Heyward now sits second in sacks in franchise history behind T.J. Watt with 80.5, has three first-team All-Pro accolades, one second-team All-Pro selection and has six trips to the Pro Bowl, firmly entrenching him as one of the best Steelers’ defensive linemen of all time and one of the best NFL defensive linemen of his era.
Entering the 2024 season, there appears to be doubt from the Steelers’ fan base and even within some of the local media regarding Heyward’s ability, particularly due to the struggles he had in 2023. It’s important to remember, though, that he came back from surgery on his groin about six weeks earlier than the recovery timeline stated, and he was very clearly playing on one leg down the stretch.
Even then, he was still quite effective from his presence alone. He looked like his usual dominant self in the Wild Card loss to the Bills, which was very encouraging.
Now, with the offseason to fully recover after another surgery shortly after the season, Heyward is out to prove the 2023 season isn’t the beginning of the end for him, especially as he is in search of another contract from the Steelers.
Strength remains a huge part of his game, and that trait isn’t going anywhere any time soon for Heyward. He should remain considered among the elite of the elite until he shows otherwise.
