Pittsburgh Steelers: Cameron Heyward Secured For Future
Times are changing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, especially when it comes to the defensive side of the football.
No more Dick LeBeau…Happy retirement Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor and (surprisingly) Jason Worilds…Goodbye Brett Keisel (maybe?)…
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The defending AFC North champions remain one of the best organizations in the NFL. Very similar to the Green Bay Packers, they put their focus on the NFL draft while doing their best to re-sign their best players before they have a chance to become free agents. So while change is always inevitable, minimizing the departure of key players is a must.
Earlier this year, the franchise re-signed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a lucrative deal that figures to keep him in the Steel City for the remainder of his career. On Thursday, via Steelers.com, the club announced that they hard re-upped with four-year defensive end Cameron Heyward to a six-year contract. Spotrac reports that the deal is with worth $59.2 million. Pittsburgh’s first overall pick in the 2011 draft, the emerging performer hasn’t missed a game in four seasons.
Atypical of how the Steelers bring along players, Heyward played every game his first two season, did not make a start and combined for 2.5 sacks. Over the past two years, he’s started 29 of a possible 32 regular-season games and totaled a combined 12.5 sacks, not bad for a defensive end in the 3-4. This past season, the former Ohio State Buckeye tied for the team lead with 7.5 sacks and finished sixth on the club with 53 stops. Heyward also added four passes defensed and was the club’s most consistent defensive linemen.
Oct 12, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward (97) celebrates after a sack during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
He’s also now one of the Steelers’ more experienced defensive players, joining outside linebacker James Harrison (who re-joined the team during 2014) and inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons.
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Under new defensive coordinator Keith Butler, the team looks to rebound from a year in which they ranked a disappointing 18th in the league in total defense while only five teams in the NFL gave up more yards through the air.
There’s a lot of work to be done if the Steelers are to return to defensive prominence. Young players such as Jarvis Jones, Ryan Shazier, Stephon Tuitt and rookie cornerbacks Senquez Golson and Doran Grant must all develop and try to remain healthy.
That’s not been a problem for Heyward, who has emerged as a dependable entity for the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin.
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