Player: ILB Payton Wilson
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: After struggling at the start of the season, Payton Wilson is starting to settle back down in a reduced role. Over the past two games, the Steelers have begun utilizing Cole Holcomb, taking some responsibilities off Wilson’s shoulders. As he settles down, however, the question is how much of that weight he begins to carry again.
A week after playing 35 snaps, under 50 percent of the Steelers’ defensive total, Payton Wilson climbed back up to 66, or about 87 percent. Part of that is because they faced a Vikings team that had to throw the ball often, down 14-3 early. Minnesota only ran the ball 20 times, dropping back to pass over 50 times.
That fact makes the question of Payton Wilson’s role somewhat more complex going forward. While his snap count increased, should we attribute that exclusively to the game circumstances? If their next opponent runs the ball over 50 times, will Cole Holcomb play 87 percent of the snaps?
Obviously, it’s not that simple, and with the bye week, the Steelers will be doing some self-scouting. If they have seen sufficient improvement from Wilson over the past two weeks, they may put more on his plate. Not that they don’t want to get Holcomb on the field, but they want Wilson to be an every-down player.
After all, that speed he showed chasing down Jordan Addison makes him an asset at any given moment. It’s one of the reasons the Steelers drafted Wilson. He is crazy athletic. He is also smart and has shown an ability to make plays. Last Sunday, he recorded 13 tackles, including two for loss. But at what point do you trust him all the way? And then what do you do with Holcomb, whom you also want to play? At the end of the day, it could be a good problem to have, like with Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith.
With the regular season on the way and the roster in place, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of thatchange the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract. Oh, and they also traded some guy named George Pickens, which people found significant.
After a long offseason, we finally know what this Steelers team will look like for the 2025 season. The dust is long settled on both free agency andthe 2025 NFL Draft, and now we’re into the real thing . What final moves might the team make, if any? They’ve certainly made a flurry of moves, though some question whether they make much difference. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
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