Steelers breakout defenders
Steelers breakout defenders
The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the cusp of a youth movement as core players age out, particularly on defense. They’ve invested heavily in the defensive side of the football in recent years, too, guarding against that potential fall-off.
That has the franchise with some key building blocks defensively to work with.
A pair of those building blocks in second-year defensive lineman Derrick Harmon and third-year inside linebacker Payton Wilson landed on CBS Sports’ All-Breakout defensive team Wednesday morning.
Harmon joined Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Walter Nolen in the trenches, while Wilson found himself alongside Green Bay’s Edgerrin Cooper and Philadelphia’s Jihaad Campbell at off-ball linebacker.
“Harmon is a terrific run defender, which makes him an ideal complement to the host of standout pass rushers that line up on the Steelers’ edge,” CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns writes. “Any improvement he shows in pressuring the quarterback would be the cherry on top of an already strong profile as a run stopper.”
Last season was an up and down one for Harmon, the No. 21 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Oregon. He dealt with two separate knee injuries that limited him to just 12 games played. When he was on the field though, Harmon was a force, particularly against the run.
His presence helped fix some of the run defense issues the Steelers had last season, and now he’s had a full offseason with no draft preparation to get ready for his second lap around the track. Expectations are high.
He needs to have more of an impact as an interior pass rusher and improve on his 3.0 sacks. If he does, Harmon will generate plenty of buzz as an impact piece moving forward.
Behind him defensively, Wilson has a bright future, too, and appears set to take a leap in Patrick Graham’s defense.
“He did not establish himself as an every-down linebacker in either of those campaigns and still needs to show progress against the run, but in upping his tackle total from 78 to 126 and becoming more of a threat in the backfield with two sacks and six tackles for loss, he took a leap as a second-year player,” Bahns writes. “A breakthrough 2026 could keep Wilson on the top line of Pittsburgh’s depth chart for the long term.”
Though he racked up 126 tackles and generated splash with sacks and tackles for loss, the 2025 season was a rough one for Wilson. He struggled against the run and lost playing time down the stretch to other inside linebackers.
Entering 2026 though, he’s a different linebacker. He’s playing fast and free in Graham’s scheme and is attacking downhill more against the run, playing with force. It’s noticeable.
If Wilson can clean up some of the issues as a run defender and really tap into his athleticism, he could take off in Year 3 and become part of an exciting future at the off-ball linebacker position in today’s NFL.
While the Steelers might be an older team on paper, they have some nice, young players to get excited about on both sides of the football.