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Steelers DL Cam Heyward called for controversial roughing on Browns QB Shedeur Sanders

Meby: Nick Geddes12/28/25NickGeddesNews

The NFL has very specific roughing the passer rules. Sometimes, they can result in calls being made that some might deem controversial. Sunday, in a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, Cam Heyward became the latest player to get flagged for a questionable roughing the passer penalty.

Heyward was flagged in the third quarter after hitting Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders as he was throwing from his own 2-yard line. Heyward made contact with Sanders before the ball came out and finished the play by driving Sanders into the ground. By rule, Heyward was guilty of roughing the passer.

The penalty was a costly one, as it gave the Browns a fresh set of downs where they were backed up in their own territory. Pittsburgh, as well as Heyward, disagreed with the call. But in accordance with the league rulebook, it was the correct one.

“A rushing defender is prohibited from committing such intimidating and punishing acts as “stuffing” a passer into the ground or unnecessarily wrestling or driving him down after the passer has thrown the ball, even if the rusher makes his initial contact with the passer within the one-step limitation provided for in (a) above,” the rulebook reads. “When tackling a passer who is in a defenseless posture (e.g., during or just after throwing a pass), a defensive player must not unnecessarily or violently throw him down or land on top of him with all or most of the defender’s weight. Instead, the defensive player must strive to fall to the side of the quarterback’s body, or to brace his fall with his arms to avoid landing on the quarterback with all or most of his body weight.”

Cam Heyward playing at high level for Steelers

Of course, it’s asking a lot for Heyward, in real time, to make the decision not to drive Sanders into the ground. However, that’s the rule.

Heyward, 36, continues to play at a high level. He entered Sunday’s game with 66 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, eight quarterback hits and six PBUs. The Steelers trail 10-6 in the fourth quarter at the time of writing.