Cam Heyward: Cam Heyward sends 3-word message after Steelers veteran slips to ESPN's No. 10 DT ranking

Cam Heyward is coming off one of the best seasons of his 14-year career at age 35. The future Hall of Famer earned his fourth first-team All-Pro selection, suiting up in all 17 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense.

While he is coming off a heroic campaign, Father Time catches up to everyone sooner or later — something NFL coaches, executives, and scouts are projecting for the Steelers veteran as he enters his 15th season.

On Tuesday, ESPN released its defensive tackle rankings, as selected by front office members throughout the league. Despite earning first-team All-Pro honors, Cam Heyward was ranked 10th on the list. He finished the season with 71 total tackles, 12 for loss, and eight sacks.

The 36-year-old responded to the placement with a three-word post on X.

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"They back talkin...," Heyward posted on Tuesday.

The list is as follows:

Dexter Lawrence II, NYG
Chris Jones, KC
Jalen Carter, PHI
Jeffery Simmons, TEN
Quinnen Williams, NYJ
Leonard Williams, SEA
Nnamdi Madubuike, BAL
DeForest Buckner, IND
Vita Vea, TB
Cam Heyward, PIT

Christian Wilkins, Derrick Brown, Zach Allen, Zach Sieler and Kobie Turner were each listed as honorable mentions.

Cam Heyward "fighting off inevitable decline" entering 15th season: ESPN's Jeremy Fowler

Cam Heyward presents an argument for a higher ranking despite his age. He was arguably the league's best interior defensive lineman last season, after all.

At 35, Heyward earned the fifth total All-Pro selection of his career and was a pivotal source of consistency for a Steelers defense that struggled to maintain momentum down the stretch of the season.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler made the case for Heyward's low ranking on the list despite some of the league's best production from the interior.

"Fighting off inevitable decline, Heyward produced eight sacks, 20 quarterback hits and a league-high eight batted passes. The difference from a down 2023 campaign was simple," Fowler said.

Still, Heyward's ranking is unjustifiably low given his production, regardless of age. Entering year 15, the Pittsburgh legend has likely secured his place in Canton after his exceptional 2024 season.

About the author

Ethen Hutton is an analyst who works for Sportskeeda, covering College Football, the NFL, the NBA and the WNBA. Ethen graduated high school with academic and athletic honors and is a member of the National High School Honors Society. After a gap year, Ethen jumped into sports writing and has over two years of experience in the field.

Ethen was raised in Ohio and is a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. His favorite all-time player is Pete Maravich as his shooting and ball-handling abilities were way ahead of his time. His favorite player in today’s NBA is Nikola Jokic due to his fascinating skillset as a big man.

Ethen loves the storylines around the NBA and the chaos that the offseason and trade deadlines bring. He enjoys technical deep dives with strong statistical analysis as well as stories where he's able to take a stance as an analyst. He is very prideful in the correctness of his work and will do extensive research to ensure all facts and evidence are 100% accurate.

When not working, Ethen enjoys recording his sports podcast, Wide Right. He is also a very invested fantasy football player.

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Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh