Pittsburgh Steelers DL Cameron Heyward put together one of the best seasons of his career during his age-35 season in 2024, registering eight sacks along with 71 total tackles and 11 pass deflections. After being named a first-team All-Pro, the fifth time he’s received an All-Pro nod in his career, Pro Football Focus believes Heyward is bound for Canton. In an article looking at players still performing well late in their career, Heyward was praised by PFF’s Ryan Smith.
“Heyward is yet another player on this list who is a lock for the Hall of Fame, trailing only Chris Jones in PFF overall grade (90.1) among interior defenders last season. At 35 years old, he finished the year with a career-high 85.9 PFF pass-rush grade. The five-time All-Pro is a big reason why the Steelers top PFF’s list of the best defensive lines in the NFL heading into the 2025 season. His presence will be especially valuable for Derrick Harmon, the Steelers’ first-round pick in this year’s draft.”
Ahead of last season, Alex Kozora posited that Heyward may need to reach 90 career sacks for a shot at Canton, and with eight last season, he’s looking like he’ll easily reach that mark with 88.5 for his career. Heyward has a Hall of Fame resume when looking at his numbers, but the only thing that’s lacking is playoff success. Heyward was a part of the Steelers team that went to the 2016 AFC Championship game, but he was hurt and didn’t play during the playoff run.
A few more playoff wins could solidify Heyward’s legacy, but even without it, he still has a strong chance to wind up in Canton. Even before his impressive 2024 campaign, historian John Turney argued for Heyward’s Hall of Fame candidacy. If Heyward can play close to the same level as he did last season, Canton will be calling.
But Heyward’s focus right now likely isn’t on what will happen after his career. The goal is to help the Steelers win and actually experience a taste of postseason success beyond just the one playoff win he has right now. Doing so means not only Heyward having a strong season, but also being the leader the Steelers need him to be on defense to work with players like Keeanu Benton and Derrick Harmon to make Pittsburgh’s defensive line one of the best units in football.
While it’s nice to think about the prospect of Cameron Heyward giving a speech during Hall of Fame induction day, it’s a lot sweeter to think about him hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
