Pittsburgh Steelers: Cameron Heyward keeps up superstar play

Some players have been accused of collecting a big payday and mailing it in thereafter, but Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward has continued to be his team’s best player on defense, as he’s been more Cameron Jordan than Corey Liuget in the first year of a six-year contract worth nearly $60 million with $15 million in guarantees.

Sometimes, the fans get their Pro Bowl votes right, such as when they voted in Cincinnati Bengals elite defensive tackle Geno Atkins, who deserves more Defensive Player of the Year love, this year. However, the populace at large sometimes whiffs on their Pro Bowl picks, and this is the case with Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward, who was quietly one of the biggest snubs from the NFL’s litmus test of national attention in 2015.

Related Story: The greatest first-round picks in NFL history

A first-round pick out of Ohio State in 2011, Heyward first emerged in his third season in the league with 59 tackles and five sacks, and he posted a career year in 2014 with 7.5 sacks and another 50-plus tackle season. One of the best 3-4 defensive ends and two-way defensive players in the game, Heyward has only upped his play even further in 2015 with second-year Notre Dame product Stephon Tuitt emerging as a legitimate standout player across from him.

More from Pittsburgh Steelers

• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Kenny Pickett looks amazing going into year two for the Steelers
• 3 players the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on way too soon
• Rest of NFL will regret letting Steelers land this steal of a rookie
• Steelers would be ideal landing spot for Caleb Williams, Drake Maye

For as impressive as Tuitt and Ryan Shazier have been for the Steelers, Heyward remains the team’s biggest star on that side of the ball, leading the team with 7.0 sacks and pacing Steelers defensive linemen with 38 solo tackles.

Heyward is equally adept at plugging up holes in run defense and sacking the quarterback, but, of course, his most important asset to this defense is his ability to consistently put pressure on the quarterback. Outside of veteran James Harrison, the Steelers lack reliable sources of pressure, as Harrison is the only other player on the team with at least five sacks with just one game remaining in the 2015 regular season.

The fact that the Steelers are 23rd in the NFL in yards allowed per game and 22nd in net yards per pass attempt given up shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone at least somewhat familiar with their players on that side of the ball, but it’s important to realize that the Steelers have indeed made strides as a defense. After all, being sixth in the league with 3.8 yards per carry allowed is pretty darn good, and being 11th in points allowed per game is more important than being 23rd in yards surrendered per contest.

It’s clear that Heyward is the biggest reason for the Steelers success against the run, and it’s even easier to see that losing him for any period of time would be flat-out disastrous to their pass defense. Ross Cockrell, Mike Mitchell, and others have shown promise in the Steelers secondary, but the numbers don’t lie; this isn’t a defense that can afford to lose one of its only two legitimate pass rushers.

The way Heyward dominates at the line of scrimmage in all facets is impressive, and extending the 3-4 DE was a bigger deal for the Steelers than it was for the player. Few defensive stars are as important to their respective teams, and that helps make Heyward one of the league’s biggest stars up front.

J.J. Watt, Aaron Donald, Kawann Short, Ndamukong Suh, and Calais Campbell are the only interior defenders with more tackles for loss this season than Heyward’s 15, as per Sporting Charts. All five of those players are regarded as elite, and yet Heyward can’t even get into the Pro Bowl despite playing with less help around him in the front seven than each of these players, save for Campbell.

Nov 15, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward (97) on the field for warm-ups before playing the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 30-9. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Heyward, who is one of the best 3-4 DEs around at finishing off plays, might not be able to post as gaudy numbers with a lesser supporting cast, but it’s worth noting that Gerald McCoy, Fletcher Cox, Atkins, Short, Donald, Muhammad Wilkerson, and Watt are the only 3-4 DEs or defensive tackles with more than seven sacks this year, which is, of course, Heyward’s total.

A long, strong beast who can disrupt quarterbacks as a pass rusher, pass deflector, or interior sack artist, Heyward would surely receive more recognition on a better defense, and all of the tackles for loss and little things he does for the Steelers defense need to receive wider recognition.

More nfl spin zone: Who is the best player from your state?

Extending Heyward has been well-worth the money thus far for the Steelers, and you only have to look at his performance against the Denver Broncos to see just how much he elevates his play in big spots.