Steelers' Cameron Heyward Continues to Dominate for Pittsburgh Defense

One of the real bright spots of what has been a dismal season for the Pittsburgh Steelers defense during the 2014 NFL season has been the play of defensive end Cameron Heyward. Heyward’s ascension began in the second half of the 2013 season, and he has become one of the most consistent performers for the Steelers defense.

On the roster, Heyward is listed as the starting right defensive end. In a 3-4 that means he plays what is called the 5-technique. This means Heyward lines up in base with his head straight up over the tackle, and plays a two-gap game. Heyward is responsible for the B and C gaps on either side of the tackle.

However, what we end up seeing when the Steelers opt for their sub packages (nickel, dime) is Heyward slides inside, allowing the outside linebacker to slide up and play a 7-technique end.

On the season, Heyward has 6.5 sacks, which puts him in a tie for the team lead with linebacker Jason Worilds. You can’t undersell how impressive a feat this is for a 288-pound defensive end, who makes most of his plays as a defensive tackle. According to Steelers PR Manager Dom Rinelli, Heyward’s performance puts him in rare company.

"

Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) is the first @steelers DE with a mutli-sack game since Dec. 23, 2012 vs. Cincinnati (Brett Keisel, 1.5).

— Dom Rinelli (@drinelli) December 21, 2014"

Heyward's alignment is important because the film shows that when Heyward lines up inside, he really is at his best. Against the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday, Heyward finished the game with 1.5 sacks, all of which came when he lined up inside. Let’s break down two of his best plays from last Sunday.

NFL Game Rewind

Here we see Heyward lined up as a 3-technique tackle with outside linebacker James Harrison way out wide. Heyward is now a 1-gap tackle and the responsibility of Kansas City guard Jeff Linkenbach. Heyward isn’t an elite athlete but is solid for a player his size. And he plays stronger than his weight.

NFL Game Rewind

At the snap, Heyward gets a great jump on the ball and puts Linkenbach back on his heels. This is accomplished in part because of Heyward’s punch. He is able to get his hands inside of Linkenbach and has him engaged before Linkenbach can extend. As you can see, Heyward wins so quickly quarterback Alex Smith doesn’t even have the opportunity to step up in the pocket and is swallowed up. 

You don’t believe me? Then maybe you’ll listen to former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch.

"

Cam Heyward just bulldozed his way to the QB.

— Charlie Batch (@CharlieBatch16) December 21, 2014"

NFL Game Rewind

On this next play Heyward lines up inside again, except this time he is head-up on the guard. This is significant for the defensive play call. It is also important to note that Harrison has lined up much further inside than on the previous play.

NFL Game Rewind

This time the Steelers run a stunt with Heyward and Harrison and it works to perfection. Harrison flashes off the ball and goes across the face of Chiefs tackle Eric Fisher. Rather than hand him off to the guard, Fisher dives inside to help fend off Harrison. This allows Heyward to curl around the outside and get to Smith unimpeded.

Going back through Pittsburgh’s previous games, there is a real pattern of success for Heyward when he is able to line up inside and attack the line of scrimmage from multiple angles.

No one is going to mistake Heyward for Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, but if you are ranking 3-4 defensive ends, you don’t have to get very far down the list before you find Heyward. This is because of his ability to rush the passer, but Heyward is also a legitimate run-stuffer when he lines up on the edge in base as well.