Player: DL Cameron Heyward
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Cameron Heyward had arguably his best game of the season so far, looking ready to go rounds with Father Time. While his stat sheet might not pop out beyond his sack, he dominated the Raiders’ interior offensive line. Las Vegas had nowhere to run, and eventually stopped trying to. Heyward had a lot to do with that.
Cameron Heyward pushed and pleaded his case for a new contract extension this offseason. The process turned many fans against him, or at least left a bad taste in their mouths. But the thing is, he got his money, and now he is earning it.
Heyward now has three sacks, on pace for eight or nine on the year. And he is doing so much more than what shows up on a standard stat sheet. If the Steelers are supposed to turn the keys over to Keeanu Benton, then the second-year man is going to have to wait his turn.
That’s because Heyward isn’t done yet putting his stamp on games, heading toward another Pro Bowl year. After all, he had just four sacks and 54 tackles in 2020 and still made the Pro Bowl, and he is outpacing those numbers.
The only concern I have for Cameron Heyward this season is his health, but he is showing no concerning symptoms. While they might be managing his snaps a little more—the six-time Pro Bowler averaging about 70 percent of the snaps—he is not giving any indication that he is waning.
He even pretty much took over one drive by himself after the Steelers pinned the Raiders deep. Starting from the 13, Heyward recorded a sack for a nine-yard loss on first down. Then he forced an incompletion with a quarterback hit on second down. Under pressure on third down, QB Aidan O’Connell found CB Donte Jackson for an interception.
That is the sort of impact he can still make at 35 years old. Yes, he had a groin injury last year, but there is no age limit on groin injuries. He is healthy now, clearly looks like it, and is playing like it. Whether he can sustain this for multiple years, we can worry about that in 2025.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
