Player: DL Cameron Heyward
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Cameron Heyward is giving Father Time a long, hard look at his middle finger this year. Despite receiving AARP applications in the mail, Heyward continues to play not just at a high but a dominant level. In describing his performance against the Cleveland Browns, all one can add is it’s simply more of the same.
The Steelers seemed to buck at the idea of giving Cameron Heyward a new contract early in the offseason. If their response to Heyward’s contract request was unenthusiastic, then the response from the fans was enthusiastically opposed.
Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean they were wrong. Most people weren’t opposed to Cameron Heyward continuing his career with the Steelers. They just wanted to see him play at a high level again first, then re-sign him.
The Steelers evidently saw enough of Heyward in training camp to be confident that he still has it. They eventually got the new deal done, frankly modest for a player of his caliber, and now he is back to his former—not old—self.
Because his old self, the present, is looking like his former self. That’s all Heyward and the Steelers could ask for. He notched his second multi-sack game of the season last Sunday, now with eight sacks on the year. Additionally, he has 10 tackles for loss, 19 quarterback hits, and eight passes defensed. The last is one off his career high, and at least one resulted in an interception.
Against the Browns, Heyward recorded five total tackles, including two sacks. Four of his five tackles went for defensive stops, with the fifth being a four-yard run on 1st and 10. As Mike Tomlin said, it was business as usual for the 35-year-old.
Basically, there’s no reason Cameron Heyward shouldn’t be an All-Pro again this season. Compare that to New Orleans’ Cameron Jordan, who genuinely looks to be winding down. Jordan beat out Heyward for the All-Decade team, but Heyward may end up having the longer, and better, career.
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.
