Will Payton Wilson stay on the field more for Patrick Graham’s defense?
Payton Wilson is now in his third season, which could be an audition for a bigger role for the Steelers next year. Patrick Queen will be a free agent in 2027, and there are no indications either side is eager to re-up. The Steelers’ interest could be dictated by what they see from Wilson this year, however, and if he can do the job.
A third-round pick in 2024, Payton Wilson earned playing time quickly, but has largely plateaued. He has been roughly the same player throughout his two seasons, but that’s not entirely his fault. Perhaps a new coaching staff can get more out of him, but they can’t make him bigger. Concerns have centered more on his run defense, the Steelers often taking him off the field on early downs in favor of Malik Harrison or Cole Holcomb.
And the Steelers still have both Malik Harrison and Cole Holcomb. Will one of them play a significant role on the defense this year at the expense of Payton Wilson’s snaps? Thus far, we haven’t really gotten much of an indication either way.
It’s reasonable to assume, though, that the Steelers want to find out as much about Wilson as possible this year. After all, he’ll be due for a contract extension in 2027. By this time next year, they need to know if he can be their green dot. They may even need to know sooner than that, if it’s the difference between re-signing Queen or not.
Last season, Payton Wilson put up 126 tackles, though that was boosted by playing 331 special teams snaps. He posted 6 tackles for loss, however, with 2 sacks and an interception. Still, for a coverage player, he only has four passes defensed to date. And by Pro Football Reference’s tracking, he allowed 41 catches on 45 targets with 2 touchdowns.
The inside linebacker position has a particularly long gestation period for the Steelers’ system, though. We’ve heard that from many over the years, from James Farrior to Vince Williams to Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, and Patrick Queen. In theory, Payton Wilson should be more advanced in his third season, even under a new coaching staff. But can he hold up in traffic better than he has in the past?
The Steelers have a long road ahead of them under Mike McCarthy, along with his cadre of quarterbacks.With seven consecutive postseason losses, and no wins in nearly a decade, they are under fire for their repeated playoff failures. While we have seen many changes, none could dream of topping Mike Tomlin resigning.
We’re already deep into the offseason, with free agency and the draft already reshaping rosters. The Steelers, of course, are used to early offseason mode as a team thatloses by the middle of January all the time. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.
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