Defensive lineman Cameron Heyward of the Pittsburgh Steelers remains among the 10 best players at his position according to the NFL executives, coaches and scouts polled by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. That’s quite an accomplishment for the 36-year-old.
But a couple writers who cover the Steelers on a daily basis argued Heyward should have been ranked even higher among the NFL’s best defensive linemen entering 2025.
“Even after a dominant first-team All-Pro season, Cameron Heyward can’t get any love from NFL executives, coaches and scouts,” wrote Steelers Depot’s Josh Carney.
“After being just an honorable mention ahead of the 2024 season in ESPN’s position rankings, the Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive lineman answers a number of questions about his game. He dominated from start to finish in 2024 and was consistently the NFL’s best interior defensive lineman.
“And yet, he remains on the fringe of the top 10 at the position in ESPN’s latest rankings.”
Heyward came in at No. 10 on ESPN’s 2025 defensive tackle rankings. Not a single NFL insider polled for the rankings placed Heyward in the top five at his position.
Steelers Now’s Aaron Becker called Heyward’s ranking, “disrespectful.”
“Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive tackle Cameron Heyward is coming off one of the best seasons of his NFL career at the age of 35. But many around the league don’t think he can keep it up for much longer,” wrote Becker.
“Heyward barely cracked ESPN’s top 10 defensive tackles for 2025 — voted on by NFL executives, coaches and scouts — as he came in at N0. 10.”
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward Ranked 10th-Best Defensive Tackle Despite 2024 All-Pro Season
Heyward has aged like fine wine, which is why it’s hard to believe executives didn’t give him more props in the ESPN rankings.
The Steelers veteran defensive tackle didn’t make the Pro Bowl or All-Pro team until 2017. That was his seventh season in the league. Since then, though, he’s earned three more first-team All-Pros and a second-team All-Pro nomination.
Heyward has also been a Pro Bowler in seven of the past eight years. During 2024, he received consideration for Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in his career.
With all that in mind, it seems like a cop out to rank Heyward lowly among the league’s top defensive tackles because he just turned 36. Yes, of course, eventually, Heyward will decline. That happens to every player.
But it hasn’t happened yet for Heyward, who arguably experienced his best season in 2024. And, it came a year after some pundits expected him to begin to decline because of a below average 2023 campaign.
Pundits should count out Heyward at their own risk.
Heyward Experienced Healthy 2024 Season
Fowler reported executives credited Heyward’s strong play last season to better health. In 2023, the defensive tackle missed six games because of a groin injury.
“He was healthier,” an AFC executive told Fowler. “Got past the nagging injuries from 2023 and performed back up to his standard. He’s been good for a long time.”
But that doesn’t really present the full story.
Heyward suffered such a severe groin injury at the beginning of the 2023 season that the muscle tore off the bone. The defensive tackle underwent surgery and crunched a 12-week rehab assignment into seven and a half weeks to return sooner.
Then after the 2023 season, Heyward underwent surgery again.
This is semantics argument, but playing with a groin tear isn’t really playing through a “nagging” injury. Heyward probably shouldn’t have been on the field at all, and quite frankly, being on the field hurt his reputation.
After the 2023 season, pundits suggested Heyward should retire. But he returned last year, proving all of his doubters wrong with an incredible 2024 campaign.
With his 2024 season, the narrative should have flipped — the 2023 season is the outlier on the defensive tackle’s resume, which could get him into the Hall of Fame one day. Instead, the narrative that Heyward isn’t truly elite anymore remains.
As the saying goes, father time is undefeated. But coming off a fourth All-Pro season, it’s surprising there’s still Heyward doubters.
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