Payton Wilson didn’t get to be a starter in his first year, but he had his chances to prove his worth as a rookie. Now starting his sophomore campaign, Wilson is looking to build off his progress, and he doesn’t need to look any further than Patrick Queen for an example, who played every defensive snap for the Steelers in 2024.
“Yeah, that’s my goal,” Wilson said, speaking to the media Tuesday via Steelers.com. “I wanna be out there with him [Queen] every single snap. Last year, PQ played literally every snap, like you said. It was kind of cool to see, after the game, how dog tired he was and how much he put on the line for the team. You know, I just want to be able to do the same thing. When I walk off that field, I want to be able to say that I gave it everything I completely had, the coaches trusted me fully, and I played the whole game.”
This is the exact type of impact you want a veteran to make on a young player. As a rookie last season, Wilson had two good role models in Queen and Elandon Roberts. It’s clear he’s bought into what Pittsburgh wants to build defensively.
If his rookie year is any example, Steelers fans should be excited about Payton Wilson’s chances in 2025. Wilson played in all 17 games and started four as part of a stretch towards the end of the season when his playing time ticked up a notch. Wilson was good against the pass, defending two passes and allowing a 79.0 passer rating when targeted. Defending the run, his 78 tackles and 8.2 missed tackle rate were both impressive, especially since Wilson racked up those 78 tackles while playing just 45-percent of the Steelers’ total defensive snaps.
It’s unlikely Wilson ends up actually playing every snap. The Steelers are clearly happy to give Queen a large workload. Plus, if Wilson also plays every snap, the Cole Holcombs and Malik Harrisons of the world would never see the field. Wilson’s not short on confidence, though, and feels he’s one of the best linebackers in the game already.
He’s earned the right to be confident. Payton Wilson was steady when called upon last year, playing well in all facets of the game. He even came up with two huge turnovers, both in wins against divisional rivals. He’s a player many expect to break out this year. It seems like he holds similar expectations for himself.
