No player played more snaps than rookie ILB Payton Wilson in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season opener against the Houston Texans. He played 44 snaps and led the team in tackles with seven total and five solo tackles. He also had one tackle for loss. It wasn’t a perfect debut, as he missed at least two tackles, but he was consistently in the frame and near the ball in the broadcast.
Brian Baldinger analyzed some of his moves in a post on X.
“I was in Latrobe last week and saw Payton Wilson play and thought, ‘Oh, he’s going to be good,'” Baldinger said. “He’s big and fast, but he can find the ball … He just looks good in the black and gold. Really good. Nice debut last night.”
The first clip Baldinger shows is a great summary of what Wilson is capable of. He was aggressive running down the hill, but not so aggressive that he ran into the block. He followed the blocks and kept his eyes on the ball carrier until he found an angle he liked. He cut under the block and fought through the tackle’s punch to get into the backfield. His short-yardage sprint was on full display as he jumped back the other way to make the tackle. That was a really solid play by the rookie against Houston’s first offense and RB Dameon Pierce.
The second play showed solid fundamentals. Wilson got himself into the gap in perfect position for a one-on-one with the running back. He broke his feet, tightened his hips and attacked Pierce.
As an inside linebacker, you have to be able to navigate through traffic. Sometimes that means taking a block and keeping your outside arm free to make the tackle. Sometimes that means breaking through a small gap in the offensive line on a cutback to make the tackle. Wilson showed both in the last two clips. The last clip also shows his ability to play sideline to sideline with his speed as he outran the running back on the edge, preventing him from going up the sideline to gain extra yards.
Wilson will likely continue to play a lot in the preseason, and solid performances like this will earn him a bigger role when the games matter.
