Many expected 2024 to be a swan song of sorts for three-time All-Pro defensive lineman Cam Heyward. After all, he missed six games in 2023 due to injury and was entering the final year of his deal at age 35. At least that’s what we though. The Steelers and Heyward came to an agreement on a two-year extension that will keep No. 97 in Pittsburgh through the 2026 season.

Even if fans were excited about the fact that Heyward would remain in Pittsburgh, there had to be some doubt to his level of play being anywhere near what it had been after an injury-plagued season and his advancing age. Instead, Heyward has put in one of his top seasons to date and looks like he’s turned back the hands of time.

Through 12 games, Heyward is second in the NFL amongst all defensive tackles with 10 tackles for loss. He’s also tied for third amongst defensive tackles in sacks with six. On top of that, he is second for his position group in hits on the quarterback and first in the league in pass deflections regardless of position – the latest of which directly led to an interception against the Bengals and helped kill a Cincinnati drive.

From an efficiency standpoint, he has been top notch. Per Sports Info Solutions, Heyward has missed just one tackle on the year and has allowed a grand total of zero broken tackles, meaning if he has gotten his hands on ball carriers, they are getting brought to the turf.

As of the time of writing, Heyward is on pace for 70 total tackles, which would be the fourth-most in his career. He’s on pace for 12 sacks, which would be a career high. Should he keep this pace, or even 70 percent of it, he will be a four-time All-Pro come season’s end, which is pretty remarkable for someone in their 14th year in the league. And while the vast majority of the attention on the Steelers’ defensive front is paid to T.J. Watt and the emergence of Nick Herbig as a star in his own right, the old caretaker is still producing at an incredibly high rate, and really should be garnering more national discussion about the things he’s doing week in and week out.