Pittsburgh Steelers defensive captain, Cam Heyward is entering his 13th season in 2023. Heyward extended his streak of Pro Bowl appearances to six in 2022 and showed little signs of slowing down significantly. He has cemented himself as a Steelers legend and is on track to be a Hall of Fame inductee when he stops playing.
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle, Cam Heyward (#97) lines up against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 at Heinz Field.
Heyward joined the Da Bois Podcast to discuss his thoughts on the Steelers and how lucky he was to be part of the organization. Joe Zito Jr., who is the host, asked the defensive captain if there was anyone he would like to see the team pursue in free agency:
“I don’t fall in love with trying to bring guys from free agency,” Heyward said. “I always want everybody to join the Steelers because I have been very fortunate to be a part of this team and understand the level of play they are accustomed to and how they treat their players is pretty special.”
Heyward has been with the Steelers long enough to know that they typically are not players for big-name free agents, preferring to spend the majority of their salary cap on homegrown players. They have made exceptions, but impact players usually come through the NFL Draft and Heyward shared how honored he was to be part of the homegrown legacy of the Steelers' defense:
“There is plenty of Steelers greats,” Heyward added. “The Steel Curtain, man I could just go off the D-line alone. LC Greenwood, Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes, and Dwight White. When I first got here, I had to learn the history, but I was already a fan. Then you look at Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel, and Aaron Smith, you just see the great defensive linemen who have been here.”
Steelers Legend Casey Hampton Is Overdue To Take His Place In Steelers Hall Of Honor
The Steelers 3-4 defensive linemen were not highly decorated until Heyward arrived. Aaron Smith only made one Pro Bowl, but was a valuable piece of two Super Bowl-winning defenses. Casey Hampton made five Pro Bowls as a nose tackle, but is rarely listed as an all-time great outside of Pittsburgh because of his low career sack totals. Hampton was potentially the best run-stopping nose guard in NFL history.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Cam Heyward on Christmas Eve carries a flag honoring Franco Harris.
Heyward pointed out that being a Steeler was a special honor and linked to you a brotherhood. The Steelers are a unique organization and he pointed out that Franco Harris had a lot to do with fostering that community and what a privilege it was to know and learn from him about how to be a Steelers player and represent the organization.
“The thing about Franco, he always made you feel in the moment,” Heyward said. “He was able to be there when you needed him and be what you needed. He was very big in the community and gave back a lot. I had him on a couple of hours before he passed away and you wouldn’t have known anything because he was very energetic. He always shined lights on everybody else and gave his platform to others.”
Harris was an unselfish legend who befriended new members of the black and gold. Heyward appreciated that he was interested in knowing you as an individual and making sure you felt welcome, not just only in the organization, but the city. It is a big hole to fill, but Heyward is ideally suited to follow in his friend’s footsteps and take over for him as the face of the Steelers in the community.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is Cam Heyward the heir apparent to Franco Harris as the Steelers’ ambassador to Pittsburgh? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
