After an injury-riddled 2023 campaign in which Pittsburgh Steelers DL Cameron Heyward appeared to be losing a step, many wondered if the 35-year-old veteran could return to his previous All-Pro form, or if Pittsburgh’s elder statesman’s days were numbered.
Heyward has successfully quenched those thoughts in 2024, appearing revitalized. The six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro is on pace for one of his most productive seasons in Year 14, having logged 55 total tackles (29 solo), 10 tackles for loss, eight sacks, 19 quarterback hits, and eight pass deflections through 13 games.
THE FILM
This past weekend against the Cleveland Browns, Heyward accounted for five total tackles (three solo), two tackles for loss, and two sacks. He looked stout against the run, providing a strong anchor along the defensive front to make life hard for the opposing Cleveland rushing attack.
In the first clip below, you see Cameron Heyward between the left guard and left tackle. On the snap, Heyward gets his hands on LT Germain Ifedi as he works across the blocker’s face into the backfield and wraps up RB Nick Chubb with the help of fellow DL Keeanu Benton to bring down Chubb for just a gain of two yards on first down.
In the next clip, Heyward again shows his combination of strength and motor to get his hands on Ifedi as the handoff goes to the left. Heyward again manages to fight across Ifedi’s face and shed the block as he chases RB Jerome Ford along the sideline. He teams up with OLB Alex Highsmith to escort Ford out of bounds.
Cameron Heyward has patented the long arm as his go-to pass rush move. Still, the long arm proves useful for stopping the run in the clip below as Heyward long arms LG Wyatt Teller to keep the blocker from locking him up on the block, crossing Teller’s face as the runner approaches the line of scrimmage for Heyward to wrap up Chubb for a gain of four yards on the play.
On the very next play, Cameron Heyward notches his first of two sacks on the afternoon. On 2nd-and-6, QB Jamies Winston drops back to pass as Heyward begins his bull rush on Teller to collapse the pocket. Winston feels the pressure of the pocket collapsing on him and attempts to escape. He runs right into the arms of Heyward, who sheds Teller and wrestles Winston down to the ground for the sack.
Cameron Heyward’s second sack comes on the first play of the fourth quarter, with Cleveland driving inside the Pittsburgh 21-yard line. On 3rd-and-6, Winston drops back to pass as Heyward runs a stunt with DL Isaiahh Loudermilk twisting to his left. Winston feels pressure from OLB Nick Herbig, causing him to step up into the pocket as Heyward works around the block of C Ethan Pocic. He wraps up Winston again and tries to wrestle him to the ground. LT Germain Ifedi would get flagged for unnecessary roughness after the play, pushing Cleveland further out of field goal range and forcing them to punt the ball away on a once-promising drive.
Cameron Heyward’s sacks weren’t of great quality as he benefitted from the pressure on Winston and had him run into his arms on two separate occasions, but Heyward managed to get off his blocks and get to the right spot at the right time to make the play.
Now, with eight sacks and 10 tackles for loss on the season, Heyward is only two sacks away from double digits and four away from tying his previous career high set in 2017. Managing to rack up four sacks in four games may be unlikely, but with three sacks in his last two, it’s plausible that Heyward could match his career best as he approaches the ripe age of 36.
Pittsburgh’s defense has been stellar for most of the season, and a large part of that can be credited to Heyward’s resurgence after a groin injury caused him to miss six games last year. With Pittsburgh at 10-3 and basically a lock for the postseason, Heyward is well on his way to another Pro Bowl and All-Pro year in 2024.
