Joel Bitonio’s retirement from the NFL this offseason has an effect that goes beyond the Cleveland Browns. The guard’s departure ends a lengthy rivalry with several well-known opponents who clashed annually in the AFC North.
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward faced off against Bitonio more than 15 times during their NFL careers. Though it came in the interior of the trenches, it was a marquee matchup of players who combined for 14 Pro Bowl selections and six All-Pro nods.
Heyward recently had an honest admission about Bitonio’s retirement, saying he “made me better” as a competitor.
“Joel has always been one of those guys that I’ve had a lot respect for,” Heyward told Cleveland.com in an email response. “He’s a guy who is consistent and there’s nothing fooling him because we’ve had our shares of battles. He made me better and made me always check what I was doing. You can tell from afar he was guy who cared and worked his a** off for his teammates. To be a great guard in this league, you must be an a**kicker and be dependable, and that’s exactly what Joel is.”
Heyward was a first-round pick by the Steelers in the 2011 NFL Draft, and Bitonio arrived with the Browns as a second-round pick in 2014. They were AFC Pro Bowl teammates every year from 2018 through 2022, and again in 2024.
Since Bitonio’s NFL debut, the Browns have struggled against the Steelers, with a 7-16-1 record in the regular season. However, Cleveland defeated Pittsburgh in the only playoff matchup at that time, but Bitonio did not play in that game from the 2020 season after testing positive for COVID-19.
That poor record is due in large part to the fact that Bitionio lined up in front of 22 different starting quarterbacks during his 178 games for the Browns. He also played alongside 14 different left tackles after Joe Thomas was injured and then retired following the 2017 season.
In addition to his seven Pro Bowl selections, Bitonio was a two-time first-team All-Pro, with three other second-team honors. Heyward also made the Pro Bowl seven times, with four first-team All-Pro selections and two second-team nods, including last season.
It was thought that Heyward might retire after Mike Tomlin stepped away from the Steelers after 19 seasons. Instead, the 37-year-old will return for a 16th NFL season.
Bitonio pondered his future for most of the offseason. But after generating modest interest as a free agent, and a potential return to Cleveland ruled out, the 34-year-old decided to step away from the game on his terms.
It’s possible that he and Heyward will be reunited in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday, maybe even in the same induction class.
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