In 2024, the Pittsburgh Steelers had two prominent new players in their linebacker room in Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. Now, with Elandon Roberts leaving in free agency, Wilson’s in line for a starting role. Heading into each of their second season with the Steelers, Queen has high hopes for himself and Wilson.
“I texted him maybe like four days ago, I was like, ‘You ready? Lets do it.’ So, you know, sky’s the limit for us,” Queen said Wednesday after he reported to training camp via Post-Gazette Sports. “We just gotta come over here, put our head down, go to work, every single day try to get one percent better. I think that’s the biggest thing, we both stay locked in and push each other every single day. We’ll be fine.”
Payton Wilson especially has generated a lot of excitement going into the 2025 season. With Elandon Roberts in front of him last year, he did get some playing time but nowhere near starting-level snaps. Despite that, he had some great moments. Wilson was a sure tackler, and came up with some huge, clutch takeaways, a staple of the Steelers’ defensive culture. Now, he gets a chance to start, and he’s already being touted as a potential breakout candidate.
As for Queen, he’s in a bit of a different spot. Coming over on a large contract last offseason, the ex-Raven didn’t really live up to expectations. Of course, the problems the defense encountered throughout last season weren’t all his fault. However, he spoke a few times about the lapses in communication during their season-ending five-game losing streak. One beat writer even suggested those issues may have started with him. Regardless, he and the rest of the defense have to be better.
Queen is coming into camp with a lot of motivation, though. Really, the entire defense has to. It’s the highest-paid defense in the league, and with the way the roster is built, it has to perform like it for the Steelers to have any chance of snapping their six-game playoffs losing streak.
That said, the sky really might be the limit for Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson. We’ve seen Queen play at a high-level before. He put together one of the best seasons of his career with the Ravens in 2023, just before coming to Pittsburgh. Now in his second year in the system, he knows he’s got to be better, and he absolutely can be.
And for Wilson, it’s hard not to be excited. He had a solid rookie year, one that’s starting to make him feel like a steal of a third-round selection. He has every chance to take the starting role by the horns this season and really take off. With a veteran who’s played like the best in the league before, and a sophomore coming off an impressive rookie season, expectations should be high for these two.
