Cam Heyward is set to reach a milestone only achieved one other time in franchise history. Still going strong in his age-36 season, Heyward will partake in his 221st regular season game this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. In doing so, he’ll break a tie with Hall of Famer Mike Webster for the second-most regular season games played as a Steeler.
Below is what that list will look like come Sunday’s kickoff.
Most Regular Season Games, Steelers’ History
1. QB Ben Roethlisberger – 249
2. DL Cam Heyward – 221
3. C Mike Webster – 220
4. WR Hines Ward – 217
5. S Donnie Shell – 201
Heyward will only trail Ben Roethlisberger’s 249. This season, Heyward’s passed up Hines Ward and is 48 hours away from stepping ahead of Webster, the man known as “Iron Mike.”
Heyward has been pretty durable himself. He missed chunks of time in 2016 and 2023 with freak pec and groin tears. But from his rookie year of 2011 through 2015, he played in every possible game. Aside from 2023, he’s missed just one other game during his age-30 season. And that was for rest in the 2020 regular season finale. He’s played in all 9 games this season and leads the defensive line in snaps.
Playing his position creates lots of wear and tear. For a defensive lineman, Heyward’s figure is even more impressive. Here’s the d-line leaders for Steelers’ regular season games.
Most Regular Season Games, Steelers History (Defensive Line)
1. Cam Heyward – 221
2. Joe Greene – 181
3. Casey Hampton – 173
4. Ernie Stautner – 172
5. L.C. Greenwood – 170
Heyward will have played 40 more than Joe Greene and nearly 50 more than anyone else.
Playing 221 games puts him in a new historical tier for the position. That will tie him for 15th most of any d-lineman in NFL history, matching former Bengals/49ers stud Justin Smith. Should Heyward play every game the rest of this season, he’ll move into the top-ten at the position and only be a handful behind the great Reggie White. Jim Marshall holds the record at 282 (Calais Campbell has 270 and climbing).
The question is – how high can Heyward go? Could he make a run at Roethlisberger’s record? He’s publicly stated it as a goal, or, at least, a hope. Playing each game this season gives him 228. Playing in all 17 regular season games in 2026 gives him 245 – four shy of Roethlisberger’s record. Heyward would need to play into his age-38 season, and receive a new contract from the Steelers, to break the mark. For now, he’ll focus on Game No. 221, a big one for a Pittsburgh team that needs to beat the Cincinnati Bengals.
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