SH #50

Shaka Heyward

Linebacker · Duke

A former Duke captain from an NFL family, Shaka Heyward has fought back from injury to become a Bengals special-teams regular.

Shaka Heyward is a linebacker who captained Duke as a senior and comes from a football lineage that includes Pittsburgh Steelers standout Cameron Heyward. Since going undrafted in 2023, he has carved out a niche for Cincinnati as a core special-teams contributor while pushing for more defensive snaps.

★ Two-time third-team All-ACC selection at Duke (2021, 2022)

★ Duke career leader in tackles among 2018-2022 defenders with 340

★ Duke team captain (2022)

Path to the league

Heyward played five seasons at Duke from 2018 to 2022, developing into a heavy tackle producer who led the team in tackles in both 2020 and 2021. As a senior captain in 2022, he posted 93 tackles and six pass breakups. He finished his Duke career with 340 tackles, 32.5 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks across 41 starts, earning third-team All-ACC honors in 2021 and 2022. He went undrafted in 2023 and signed with Cincinnati.

Career highlights

Heyward cycled between Cincinnati's practice squad and active roster before earning his NFL debut in Week 11 of the 2024 season, logging 24 special-teams snaps against the Los Angeles Chargers. He was signed to the active roster in December 2024 and has since become one of the Bengals' more trusted special-teams players.

2025 season recap

Heyward logged 10 combined tackles over eight appearances during the 2025 season before a fibula hairline fracture landed him on injured reserve in Week 8. He returned to action in December, was activated ahead of a matchup with Baltimore, and signed a one-year contract extension with the Bengals in January 2026.