While the core of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense will remain unchanged under new coordinator Patrick Graham, there seems to be one major update that could force some tough decisions to be made.
In a recent interview, secondary coach Joe Whitt detailed what everyone already knew about Graham's defense: he likes to use a lot of nickel and dime defense. This means extra members in the secondary at the cost of defensive linemen and linebackers.
For a player like Payton Wilson, this could be a blow to his chances of sticking around long-term in Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' new-look defense could limit Payton Wilson
The hope was for Payton Wilson to become a star linebacker who could play on every down. To this point, that hasn’t materialized.
Last year, Wilson was quickly removed from base defense as he was a liability against the run. He still saw plenty of playing time, but it was clear that he was the second fiddle to Patrick Queen.
That will likely be the case again in 2026. While Queen doesn’t feel long for the roster past this year, he should once again be the every-down linebacker. If the goal is to get more nickel and dime defense on the field, it could further limit Wilson as a defender.
Dime defense typically calls for one linebacker. That would seemingly be Queen. If Wilson still isn’t trusted in base defense, that is suddenly half the snaps that he isn’t on the field for.
Whitt also explained that their sub-package linebacker will be called the “money” position, and that player may not be a linebacker at all. He mentioned Jalen Ramsey has a potential fit there, but either of the safeties could feasibly occupy that role as well.
All of this means that Wilson has a lot to prove to his new coaching staff this summer. It starts with his run defense. Ideally, he can reclaim his role on base defense next to Queen.
From there, it will be a matter of proving he can communicate and function properly in other schematic looks. If not, his role could quickly unravel this year.
That would open the door to needing to find a replacement in 2027. Queen is likely out the door, and Wilson will be entering the final year of his rookie deal after essentially getting demoted.
This new scheme could certainly play to Wilson’s strengths, but he has a lot to prove before his role is secure.
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