Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward received a puzzling slight from NFL evaluators, who left the longtime Steelers captain not only out of their top 10 defensive tackle rankings but out of the honorable mention section entirely. Heyward landed in the “also receiving votes” category, a placement that feels less like a deliberate slight and more like the league simply forgot one of its most durable interior defenders is still playing at a high level.

Cam Heyward’s 2025 production says otherwise

The case for Hayward belonging much higher on this list is not hard to make. He earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2025. He recorded his highest tackle total since 2021. He posted nearly double-digit tackles for loss and remained a consistent presence in the pass rush from the interior. Those are not the numbers of a player who belongs in the “also receiving votes” bin.

I understand the counterargument. Hayward is in his mid-30s, pushing toward his late 30s, and he doesn’t carry the same name-brand accolades as some of the players above him on the list. But production is production, and his 2025 tape tells a story that the evaluators apparently didn’t bother to watch.

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The film doesn’t lie

Turn on the film from last season, and you see a player who is still strong as an ox at the point of attack. Heyward was bullying centers, guards, and even tackles on a regular basis. His ability to hold the point and shed blocks remains elite for any defensive tackle in the league, let alone one at his age.

The truth is, this ranking feels less like a calculated evaluation and more like an oversight. It’s one thing to argue that Heyward doesn’t belong in the top five. It’s another thing entirely to leave him out of the top 10 and the honorable mentions. That suggests the evaluators simply weren’t thinking about him when they cast their votes, which is its own form of disrespect.

A potential chip on Heyward shoulder heading into 2026

If there’s a silver lining here, it’s that Heyward now has bulletin board material heading into the 2026 season. Unlike previous years, when contract uncertainty lingered over training camp, Heyward has his deal handled heading into this summer. That means a fully focused Cam Hayward with something to prove.

I believe Pittsburgh is still going to get a productive, impactful version of Hayward this season. He has shown zero signs of falling off a cliff, and his durability at the position continues to separate him from many of the players who were ranked ahead of him in this exercise.

The bottom line is that leaving Cam Hayward in the “also receiving votes” section of a top 10 defensive tackle list is the kind of omission that makes you question the process entirely. Second-team All-Pro in 2025, his highest tackle total since 2021, a dominant presence on film — and the evaluators couldn’t find room for him in the top 10 or the honorable mentions? That’s not analysis. That’s amnesia.