Steelers' Payton Wilson Quickly Showing How He Can Wreak Havoc On Offenses In 2024

The Pittsburgh Steelers were not able to defeat the Houston Texans in their first preseason game of the 2024 season. Pittsburgh chose to sit a number of its starters, including Russell Wilson, Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, Patrick Queen, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Texans, who were playing their second preseason game since they played in the Hall of Fame game, were playing the majority of theirs, including quarterback C.J. Stroud. 

There were so many clear winners and losers for Pittsburgh in the game. Losers included first-round draft pick Troy Fautanu, who cost the team two sacks and failed to impress during his first real pro action. The Steelers' special teams unit surprised many by looking sloppy. 

One of the clear winners however, was rookie Payton Wilson. The third-round draft pick out of NC State impressed many during training camp and continued to turn heads during the preseason matchup against the Texans. He performed well enough that Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin praised him highly during his postgame press conference.

"I thought he did some really good things; a tackle on a punt there early, he was active on defense," said Tomlin. "I think it's kind of reflective of the production that we've seen from him in Latrobe. I don't know that any of us are surprised by it. I thought it was a good start initially for him."      

Fans have been drawn to Wilson and his story since he was drafted. Wilson was considered by some as the best linebacker in the draft, but likely slid down the board because he is missing an ACL in one of his knees. Many teams were concerned about how a linebacker without an ACL would hold up. The Steelers already knew though: five-time Pro Bowler Greg Lloyd and Super Bowl MVP wide receiver Hines Ward were missing theirs as well.

Wilson did not disappoint in his first real showing. During the first two defensive possessions of the game, he showed the Texans and everyone else that he was there to play. He had a tackle for a loss during the first play and then stuffed the run on the subsequent Houston possession. He led the Steelers' defense in total tackles with six.  

His strong performances in camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe have caught the attention of fans. This is unsurprising, considering he is frequently cited as the potential biggest steal of the draft. 

This isn't the first time that Tomlin has praised Wilson. When asked about him in a prior press conference, Tomlin said that Wilson is "highly conditioned." The fact that Wilson has put in so much work before even arriving at the Steelers' facility, shows the coach how seriously he is taking this opportunity. Tomlin said that preparation reveals itself as "hustle and finish," and that hustle and finish helps open doors for these young players.  

The initial Steelers depth chart shows Wilson behind Queen as the left inside linebacker. This gives the Steelers the deepest, and possibly best inside linebacker corps since Ryan Shazier suffered his devastating spinal injury in 2017. 

Steelers Have The Buffalo Bills Headed To Town

Things certainly got chippy in Latrobe with some backs on backers action in camp the past two weeks. There have even been a few skirmishes in camp. This is often billed as a positive, a show of how passionate the players are. That changes when it's another team. 

The Steelers have the Buffalo Bills coming into town for some joint practices and their next preseason game. Former players always talk about how aggressive these joint practices can be, and the Bills one is not expected to be any different. After all, fans just saw the league hand out fines of $200,000 to the Detroit Lions and the New York Giants for the fights that broke out during their joint practice. 

What did you think of Wilson's performance in the first preseason game? Click to comment below.

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