Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin isn’t too concerned about second-year linebacker Payton Wilson. He’s focusing on the bright side and pointing out how the young player has stepped up and taken on a bigger role, utilizing the grit that has defined him since his college days.
Before Sunday’s matchup with the Patriots, Austin talked about Wilson getting more playing time. He’s now a starter with 11 solo tackles and 1 sack through two weeks.
Despite sitting second on the team in tackles with 15 total, Wilson has struggled through two weeks. He’s had issues getting off of blocks in the run game, and is struggling in coverage, having allowed six receptions on six targets for 114 yards. He’s playing 87% of the snaps defensively so far, an increase from the 45% he played last season.
It’s a lot to ask, especially of a young linebacker. But Austin believes he’s handling the workload well.
“Speaking of Payton, he’s taken on a lot more, and he’s done well. He’s handled the volume of it,” Austin said of Wilson, according to the official transcript provided by the team. “He had a couple plays in there that probably didn’t look so good last week in that regard, but in terms of him trying to be physical and coming downhill and hitting and running and chasing, it’s nothing new. It’s what he does.
“I’m encouraged by the extra that we put on his plate that he can handle.”
That “extra” has Wilson at nearly 90% snap share through two games, a far cry from his rotational rookie year in 2024, where injuries and depth limited him to spot duty. The “coming downhill” Austin highlights? That’s pure Pittsburgh LB ideal. Aggression fits over finesse, even if it means occasional overaggression on those “couple plays” from the Seattle loss, like a coverage lapse or tackle whiff that let the Seahawks gash for chunks.
What stands out in Austin’s breakdown is the trust in Wilson’s instincts. “It’s nothing new. It’s what he does.”
No sugarcoating the warts, but his lens stays locked on the chase, the physical pop that echoes Wilson’s NC State days, where he exploded for 138 tackles as a senior. That downhill fire turned into Wilson’s first NFL sack on Sam Darnold, a reminder of the rangy speed (4.43 40-yard dash) that made him a third-round steal.
As the Steelers eye a bounce-back against the Patriots, with Patrick Queen holding down the other spot, Wilson could anchor a front seven that’s allowed too many chunk plays early, surrendering 31.5 points per game in a 1-1 start.
