Pittsburgh Steelers DT Cam Heyward frustrated fans this offseason with his contract dispute. But that does not change the fact that Heyward is a phenomenal defensive lineman and football player. While assistant general manager Andy Weidl did not talk about the contract negotiations, he still went out of his way to call Heyward “an all-time great Steeler.”
Don’t believe Weidl? How about former NFL Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden? Gruden previewed the AFC North Friday on his YouTube channel, and when he got to talking about the Steelers’ defense, Heyward was the first player he mentioned.
“The defensive line coached by Karl Dunbar has got to be the strength of this outfit,” Gruden said. “And they’re led by arguably one of the greatest defensive linemen I have ever seen play. A lot of people, ah Gruden, you’re full of shit. Cam Heyward is a freaking wrecking ball. He’s like blocking an excavator… This guy, I’ve seen him take human beings, offensive guards, and get rid of them like, chill. I mean gone, like a sack of groceries.”
Jon Gruden was around some fantastic defensive linemen during his coaching career. When he won the 2002 Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had future Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp along with All-Pro DE Simeon Rice. Suffice it to say, Gruden has been around great defensive linemen.
And he counts Cam Heyward among them. In terms of personal accomplishments, how can you not? In 211 career regular-season games, Heyward has 88.5 sacks as a defensive tackle. He also has 133 tackles for a loss and 199 quarterback hits.
Cam Heyward is an incredibly disruptive defensive tackle. Even at the age of 35, he still had eight sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in 2024. Young defensive linemen look up to him, like New York Jets DL Quinnen Williams.
Just check out this sack against the Washington Commanders from 2024.
Cam Heyward long-arm on his first sack. Great pressure by Alex Highsmith as well. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/4pGfOICnlT
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) November 11, 2024
Jon Gruden called blocking Cam Heyward like blocking an excavator. Well, with Heyward’s long-arm technique, he certainly excavated the guard out of the way en route to QB Jayden Daniels. Moved to the side like a sack of groceries in Heyward’s way.
I think it’s safe to say Gruden would have Heyward circled during game prep if he were still coaching and facing the Steelers. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Gruden fully expects to see Cam Heyward in a gold jacket when it’s all said and done, much like another all-time great defensive linemen he coached in Warren Sapp.
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