The 2025 NFL offseason must be treated with careful planning, great attention, and reflection if the Pittsburgh Steelers are to rebound from their disappointing five-game losing streak to end the 2024 season.
One of the most painful questions the Pittsburgh Steelers must ask themselves heading into the offseason, however, is how much longer they can rely on the sole efforts of Cam Heyward to uphold a weakening defensive line.
Heyward will be 36 years old by the time the 2025 regular season rolls around—just one year older than when legendary Steelers DT “Mean” Joe Greene retired.
Heyward put together one of his greatest seasons to date in 2024, but Father Time waits for no man. Ideally, he would be able to play at an elite level for another five years, but this simply isn’t realistic.
Ultimately, if the Pittsburgh Steelers care about staying competitive in the postseason—and there’s little evidence to suggest that they do—drafting his heir apparent in the 2025 NFL Draft would be the right move.
