As one of only six who have won the “Chief Award” multiple times as the Pittsburgh Steelers player most cooperative with media, Cameron Heyward has demonstrated a good relationship with local reporters.

So much so, apparently, they aren’t afraid to needle him.

And as one of the Steelers’ elder statesmen, Heyward, for whatever reason, has proved to be an easy target during this preseason.

There was the time a week into training camp when repeated questions about Heyward’s veteran status prompted the defensive lineman to reply, “You guys act like I should be doing Jazzercise or something.”

Then there was the time late last month when someone pointed out the growing patch of gray in Heyward’s beard. Or the occasion during which comparisons to former teammates Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel (who played until age 35 and 36, respectively) prompted Heyward to say, “Those guys retired. That doesn’t mean I’m old. Dang.”

Even the general public has been getting in on the act (intentionally or not) of clowning on Heyward’s age. While waiting in line at a sporting goods store a few weeks ago, someone even asked Heyward if he was enjoying retirement.

Heyward claims his teammates aren’t afraid to figuratively dunk on him, either.

“They’re ready to ship me out to pasture right now,” Heyward said. “They treat me like Old Yeller out here. But, hopefully, I’ve got 10 more years for you.”

Heyward probably doesn’t have 10 more NFL seasons. But riding a streak of four consecutive Pro Bowl selections, he has the look of a player who has at least a few more to add to the 10 he already has given the Steelers.

Heyward turned 32 in May. The trajectory of his career, though, has pointed upward in that his most recent five seasons (twice a first-team and once a second-team All-Pro) have been much more productive than the five that came immediately after he was a first-round pick in 2011. Thirty-three of Heyward’s 58 career sacks and 82 of his 136 QB hits have come in his four most recent seasons.

“He might have old football tendencies,” Steelers defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said, “but he comes to work every day. He runs to the ball every day. To me, he’s still playing like a kid who loves the game.”

Don’t tell Heyward he’s old, but if he can play a few more seasons, he could end up as one of the most experienced Steelers in franchise history.

The Sept. 12 opener will be his 150th game with the Steelers, tying him with Robin Cole for the 41st in Steelers history. Only 22 will have played more on defense.

Heyward can move into the top 25 in all-time Steelers games played if he appears in 16 of their contests in 2021. Among defensive players, he can end the season 12th if he plays in 14.

The only defensive linemen to play more games for the Steelers are Joe Greene, Casey Hampton, Ernie Stautner, L.C. Greenwood, Aaron Smith and Keisel.

Tuesday #BreakfastWithBenz column--Cam Heyward has embraced #Steelers DE legacy advanced by Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith. https://t.co/wSDDUpZGen Now he’ll try try to outlast it. @TribSports @TribLIVE

— Tim Benz (@TimBenzPGH) September 8, 2020

“I’m just trying to be a veteran trying to lead guys,” Heyward said, “provide the right leadership, (teach) the way I was taught.”

Any day now, Heyward almost certainly will be named a Steelers defensive captain for the seventh consecutive season. This year, though, his voice figures to carry more weight than ever. Many of the other respected veteran voices of the locker room over the past decade — Maurkice Pouncey, Vince Williams, David DeCastro, Alejendro Villanueva — moved on.

“Retirements happen,” Heyward said. “Other guys will step up, (but) I’ll just put it all on my shoulders. In my leadership capabilities, I just make sure I lead the way I know how.”

Among those on the roster, only Ben Roethlisberger has been with the Steelers longer. Only Roethlisberger, Joe Haden and Tyson Alualu have been in the NFL longer.

Only Roethlisberger, Alualu, Haden and Melvin Ingram are older.

“I don’t know where that came from or where it started,” the 34-year-old Alualu said of the old-man jokes about Heyward, “but Cam is still the biggest kid on the playground. He’s always playful. But when it’s time to turn things on and they flip that switch, he becomes the player that he’s always been here for the Steelers.”

That player’s 58 career sacks are the second most by a defensive lineman in franchise history, third most among active NFL defensive tackles and fifth most for the Steelers since the sack became an official statistic in 1982.

Heyward has been graded as the NFL’s seventh-, 11th-, second- and fifth-best interior defensive lineman, respectively, over the past four seasons in Pro Football Focus’ evaluations. Only Aaron Donald and Chris Jones have joined him among the top 11 every year since 2017.

Not bad, for an old — um, mature — guy.

“He’s a guy who is really settled. He has a family,” Dunbar said. “(But) he knows how to play football, and he loves football. It helps to have those young guys see that.”

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