With Patrick Queen out of the lineup as part of a number of veterans sitting for the preseason opener Saturday night in Jacksonville, second-year Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson took on the communication role for the first-team defense, giving him a great opportunity to show he can handle it inside a stadium.
Though he played just 12 snaps against the Jaguars, Wilson made an impact, finishing with three tackles. That limited playing time impressed veteran defensive lineman and team captain Cameron Heyward, too.
On the latest episode of his Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast that published Tuesday morning, Heyward raved about Wilson, and the communication defensively.
“I think he handled it well. I know in the future we’re gonna give it to PQ [Patrick Queen] and let him ride with it. But I think it was really good and critical to watch Payton feel comfortable in that,” Heyward said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “We talked about that with T.J. [Watt] not having the confidence to do that and then do it in a game. From an outside linebacker’s perspective is crazy There’s enough you gotta focus on.
“But to watch Payton just feel comfortable, I thought he flew around the entire game. I thought he looked like he took a jump from year one to year two.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talked before the preseason opener about Wilson having the green dot for the game, something he’s done in practice when Queen has been given a veteran day off, so it wasn’t a new concept for Wilson. His leadership and communication style were both praised by Tomlin, but they wanted to see him get a look with it inside a stadium.
Twelve snaps is a very small sample size, but Wilson flew around and made plays. He had just a 63.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in the game, but he was around the football a ton. The defense communicated well, there were no mental lapses on the field without the big pieces, and guys were in the right spots over and over again.
Playing fast and physical, all while handling the communication for the defense, getting guys lined up before the snap was a good step forward for Wilson. He’s going to have a huge role this season next to Queen, and could very well be a guy who never comes off the field given his abilities in coverage.
Taking a significant Year 2 leap would do wonders for the Steelers’ defense as a whole, giving them a guy with star potential in the middle next to Queen. It was just one preseason game and limited snaps, but it’s hard not to pleased with Wilson’s performance, and what the future looks like for him.
Check out the full episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward below.
