With Patrick Queen potentially out the door after this season, is Payton Wilson ready to assume his position for Pittsburgh? Going into Year 3, it’s high time Wilson proves whether the Steelers can rely on him. While he’s been a quasi-starter, they haven’t yet entrusted him with a larger responsibility.
And he’ll need to, if Mark Kaboly is correct. Speaking about Wilson on the Steelers Collective podcast, he said, “I think he’s gonna benefit because I don’t think Patrick Queen’s gonna come back. I think it’s a huge long shot of him coming back, so all of a sudden he becomes a little bit more valuable”.
The Steelers signed Patrick Queen as an unrestricted free agent in 2024 to a three-year, $41 million contract. He is now in the last year of that deal, and Kaboly isn’t even sure he would want to return to the Steelers. But if Payton Wilson isn’t ready to step into a larger role by next year, could they afford not to bring him back?
“He just has to be more consistent. I think he has all the talent in the world”, Kaboly said of Wilson. “If he was able to be consistently what we saw in training camp last year that was eye-opening, but then when he got into the season he looked good and obviously inconsistent. That’s what I’m looking at. I think he could be the next Patrick Queen type of guy, but he needs to definitely work some things out”.
Payton Wilson recorded 126 tackles last season, though that includes extensive play on special teams. He registered 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and an interception. Queen registered 120 tackles, 8 for loss, with a forced fumble, a sack, and 4 passes defensed. Both of them, frankly, were suspect regarding man coverage, shedding blocks, and tackle efficiency. And both have pointed to communication, in which they play a central role, as an ongoing issue on defense.
The Steelers have no had consistently high-quality inside linebacker play in nearly a decade. They had the right mixture, it seemed, with Ryan Shazier and Vince Williams. In Queen and Wilson, they seem to have a hybrid of those two, though lacking Shazier’s elite speed and athleticism, Williams’ muscle and grit, and the excellent diagnostic capability that made the pair such a good fit.
Some have questioned whether Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are too similar to thrive together. If the Steelers were to bring in a Vince Williams type, could Wilson flourish then? We’ll have to watch this season play out before that question even matters.
As for Queen’s future with the Steelers, that remains to be seen. Given the extensions they have ahead of them next offseason, it stands to reason they may have to part with some high-salaried players. Queen obviously wouldn’t be on the books, but they’d have to add his salary if they re-sign him. But if they don’t, will Payton Wilson be ready to take over the unit?