Steelers Now
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Second-year Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson was tasked with being the play-calling conduit between his coaches and defensive teammates on Saturday night.
The duty served as a large example of the trust Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff have in the 2024 third-round draft choice. Typically, Patrick Queen is the Steelers’ green dot linebacker, but he was rested in the preseason opener against the Jaguars.
“It was really cool,” Wilson said afterward. “I’m just glad that the coaches trust me with that responsibility in my second year. It was really fun. I mean, I enjoyed it. I love giving the calls, love communicating. Obviously, when PQ is out there, that’ll be him. But just super honored to have the responsibility.”
Wilson totaled 78 tackles last season, the second-most of any AFC rookie. He gained confidence as that campaign wore on and is aiming for a larger role this time around. He said late last month that he’d like to play beside Queen on every single snap this season.
There wasn’t a steep learning curve to being the middleman during a portion of the 31-25 win.
“In practice, we all have a green dot,” Wilson said. “Everybody has a mic, everybody’s making calls, so that helps a lot. Today, I thought it went great. TA got me the call, I got the guys the call. It didn’t feel like there was any confusion.”
Wilson had three solo tackles in the victory. The Steelers’ defense was led in that category by rookie seventh-round pick Carson Bruener, who racked up seven total stops.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Jacksonville, Fla.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers LB Payton Wilson Thrives in Green-Dot Role
