Can Cameron Heyward stave off “inevitable decline” for another season and make All-Pro again?
Defying the odds, Cameron Heyward recorded a first-team All-Pro season last year at 35; can he do it again? Obviously, he can’t do it at 35, since he’s 36 now, but you get the point. When players reach his age, observers simply wait for the decline.
I remember watching Mariano Rivera, the great Yankees Hall of Fame closer. Every year for his past several seasons, every time he blew a save or even allowed a run, it would spark a wave of conversation. Is this the beginning of the end? The end never came, except in the form of retirement. Can Heyward sustain his high level of play until he, rather than his body, chooses to retire?
Well, that’s a separate question, really, as we’re only concerned with 2025 right now. After an injury-plagued 2023 season, Cameron Heyward roared back last year and proved himself anew. But it’s another year, he is another year older, and there is a new wave of skepticism.
A recent ESPN article only ranked him 10th among interior defensive linemen, which indicates the expectation of regression. Considering Heyward finished on the first-team All-Pro List last year, that would be a necessity to fall that far.
And Heyward, as he always has, sees the press, and uses it as fuel. On X, he posted an apparent reaction to the “news”. “They back talkin….”, he wrote, with a winking emoji. In an accompanying gif, the caption reads, “I’ll add it to the list”.
But the question is, will he add more post-season accolades to his list? Because if he does, then it will mean another strong season. Since 2017, he has made the Pro Bowl every year except for the injury-plagued 2023. Heyward has also made the All-Pro List five times in that span, including four first-team honors.
With 71 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 20 hits, and 11 passes defensed, Cameron Heyward still produced plenty. And he also managed that while slightly reducing his playing time, dipping below 800 for the first time since 2017. His 71-percent usage rate is the lowest snap share—by design—of his career when factoring injury and starting position. The Steelers seem to have found a balance to keep him productive, but can that keep him at the top of the league for at least one more season?
The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers isthe quarterback question. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete.
But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.
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