After reflecting on 12th season with Steelers, Cameron Heyward ready to tackle another year of challenges
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After completing his 12th NFL season in 2022, Cameron Heyward spent considerable time in the winter thinking about the “R” word.
Just not the one that immediately springs to mind when it involves a 34-year-old defensive tackle who is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning.
“It’s not retirement, it’s more of a reflection,” Heyward said Wednesday after the Pittsburgh Steelers conducted their second organized team activity workout of the spring.
“You really focus on the season. Every year I have to focus on that because I put so much into it that you’ve got to have that time to really stand back and see what is going to happen and what you want to do.”
For Heyward, he had much to contemplate. Although he was named to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time (as an alternate replacement) and reached double digits in sacks for the second year in a row and third time in his career, Heyward had ample reason to think about his future.
He entered the offseason with two years left on his contract that carries the second-highest cap hit on the roster at $22.256 million, which includes a $15.85 million base salary. At the end of last season, Heyward wondered how he — and his contract — fit into the organization’s plans.
“The reflection period was long,” he said. “For me, it’s just understanding I’ve got more years in the tank. I’m excited to keep attacking it and trying to figure out this puzzle to win a Super Bowl.”
Heyward became the longest-tenured player on the Steelers roster following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement after the 2021 season. When he was drafted in the first round in 2011, he joined the Steelers immediately after their Super Bowl appearance against Green Bay.
Not only haven’t the Steelers played a game in February since, they have a 1-6 record in playoff games with Heyward on the active roster. When they reached the AFC championship game after the 2016 season, Heyward was on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle.
The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since, losing to Jacksonville, Cleveland and Kansas City in the three trips they’ve made in the past six seasons.
“There is definitely an urgency,” Heyward said.
But he reiterated that those feelings don’t correlate to his age.
“I don’t look at it like that,” he said. “My urgency is always high. I’m only given a certain amount of snaps. Each time is different. I want to make sure we maximize it and take advantage of this opportunity that we have.”
Since the end of last season, when the Steelers won seven of their final nine games to finish with a 9-8 record that left them just short of a playoff berth, the organization has added two veteran inside linebackers and a Pro Bowl cornerback. They re-signed defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi and safety Damontae Kazee. They used a second-round pick on defensive lineman Keeanu Benton.
Whether the Steelers have improved their defense significantly won’t be determined until September when the regular season begins against the San Francisco 49ers at Acrisure Stadium.
“Everybody wants to talk about it in freaking May and June,” Heyward said. “I’m talking about taking kids to school, and everybody else is talking about Super Bowls. Do we have a good team? I think, yeah, but time will tell where we are at.”
Heyward wants to do his part to ensure the Steelers return to the playoffs and then perhaps get back to the Super Bowl. As the 2022 season showed, his production isn’t slowing down.
Although Heyward didn’t earn All-Pro recognition after being honored three times previously, or make the initial Pro Bowl roster, he did record 10 1/2 sacks, which ranked second on the team. It came a year after he had 10. He accumulated 74 tackles, and his 14 tackles for loss were two fewer than his career high.
“Just from Cam walking in the building, you can feel his presence,” said inside linebacker Elandon Roberts, who joined the Steelers in free agency. “I’m excited to work with him. I think his presence doesn’t just go toward the defense, it goes toward the whole building. It’s very strong throughout it.
“I’m very excited to work with that guy, pick his brain on things. How he carries himself on and off the field. I’m eight years in the league, but he has more than me. Whatever I have to do to get to his point and to get his amount of years through his leadership and what he puts out on the field, I’m a sponge and I’m going to take it all in.”