Pittsburgh Steelers player tier rankings following 2021 season

Tier 2: All-Pro level

Steelers: Cameron Heyward

This is where the number of players really starts to die off. Despite playing at 32 years old this season, Cameron Heyward is still the second-best player on the team (I’m sure you’ve already figured out which player is in a tier of his own above him). Heyward was one of the team’s only great run stoppers this season and was still a force to be reckoned with when rushing the passer.

In 2021, Heyward managed to compile 89 tackles, 10.0 sacks, 15 tackles for a loss, 17 quarterback hits, and 32 pressures, via Pro Football Reference. According to Pro Football Focus, Heyward ranked 2nd among interior defenders only to the great Aaron Donald. There was a massive score gap between him and the third-highest-graded IDL in the NFL.

The Steelers were very short-handed along the defensive line this year, as they were missing both Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu for most of the season. It was remarkable that Heyward was able to put up the numbers he did — especially when considering how often he was double-teamed.

On most teams, Heyward could have been in the very top tier of players. However, the Steelers have a superstar who is going to pull in the Defensive Player of the Year award for his efforts in the 2021 season.