No player logged more snaps than rookie ILB Payton Wilson in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason opener against the Houston Texans. He played 44 snaps and led the team in tackles with seven total and five solo. He also had one tackle for loss. It wasn’t a perfect debut as he had at least two missed tackles, but he was consistently in the frame on the broadcast and in the area of the ball.
Brian Baldinger broke down a few of his plays with a post on X.
“I was in Latrobe last week and I saw Payton Wilson play and thought, ‘Oh, he’s gonna be good,'” Baldinger said. “He’s big and he’s fast, but he can find the football…He just looks good in the Black and Gold. Real good. Nice debut last night.”
The first clip that Baldinger shows is a great summation of what Wilson is capable of. He was aggressive coming downhill but not too aggressive as to run himself into the block. He flowed with the blocks and kept his eyes on the ball carrier until he found an angle he liked. He cut underneath the block and powered through the tackle’s punch to penetrate the backfield. His short-area burst was on full display diving back the other direction to make the tackle. That was a really solid play for the rookie against Houston’s first-team offense and RB Dameon Pierce.
The second play showed solid fundamentals. Wilson got into perfect position in the gap for a one-on-one against the running back. He broke down his feet, coiled up his hips and tackled Pierce.
You have to be able to navigate traffic as an inside linebacker. Sometimes that means taking on a block and keeping your outside arm free to make the tackle. Other times that means bursting through a small seam in the offensive line on a cutback to make the tackle. Wilson showed both of those over the final two clips. The last clip also shows his ability to play sideline to sideline with his speed as he beat the running back to the edge so he couldn’t turn up the sideline for extra yards.
Wilson will likely continue playing a ton in the preseason, and solid performances like these will earn him a bigger role once the games start to count.
