Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman, Cam Heyward has established himself as one of the best defenders in team history. Despite being 33 years old, he kept right on that track in 2022. After a somewhat slow start, Heyward ended the season with stats similar to some of his best years. He ended with 10.5 sacks, the second-best tally of his career, along with four pass deflections, 14 tackles for a loss, and a career-high 22 quarterback hits.
Steelers defensive lineman, Cam Heyward (#97) brings down Ravens running back, JK Dobbins in the team's Week 17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Despite the numbers and overall impact he provided, others think he’s taken a step back. Or at least that’s how the voting for NFL’s most prestigious honors have worked out. The AP All-Pro teams were announced on Friday, neither of which included Heyward. It’s hard to dispute the four interior linemen that made it over the Steelers veteran, but it feels like people are overlooking him for some reason.
He failed to make the Pro Bowl initially. Earlier this week, he wasn’t listed on the Players’ All-Pro squad. Thankfully for Steeler fans, it seems like Heyward is indeed paying attention and taking notes. After the All-Pro rosters were revealed, the 12-year defensive lineman had this to tweet, clearly not happy with his omission:
Respect for those guys but man seems like a lot of goal posts moved to make arguments these days. I guess back to the lab
— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) January 13, 2023
He didn't hesitate to retweet a tweet comparing the stats between him and Jeffery Simmons, either. Simmons, who plays for the Tennessee Titans, made the All-Pro Second Team. The only major statistic that Simmons had Heyward on was pass deflections, as he had seven compared to four. Now, that's not disrespect to the Titans star, but the stats don't lie.
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive captain, Cam Heyward (left) and head coach, Mike Tomlin (right) at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Beyond the stats, Heyward also made his presence felt in the running game on a consistent basis again. It seems as if it will drive him to be even better next season, as he expects to return to the field as a Steeler. His five-year streak of making the Pro Bowl is now over, along with his three-year streak of being selected to one of the two All-Pro rosters.
Was Heyward snubbed from all of these teams? Who would you take off in order to put Heyward on? Where does he rank amongst the best Steelers defensive linemen of all-time? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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