The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first game of the 2025 season last weekend against the New York Jets, and the team came away with a win in a back-and-forth affair.
However, even though the Steelers won, not everybody on the roster had a quality showing. In fact, several players had downright awful performances. One of the players who did not have a game to remember is linebacker Payton Wilson.
Wilson is one of the starting interior linebackers, alongside Patrick Queen. The NC State product played in all 17 games last season as a rookie, but only got four starts. This season, the team will need Wilson to play a much larger role in the middle of the defense.
Against the Jets, the middle of the field was a huge liability. Wilson earned a putrid 33.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 90th out of 100 qualified linebackers. Wilson graded out especially bad in pass coverage, and he looked lost for much of the afternoon.
Wilson’s performance was so bad that even former players felt the need to comment. Steelers insider Andrew Fillipponi shared a quote from an anonymous former Steeler that absolutely roasted Wilson.
“That was the most below the line performance by a Steelers linebacker,” said the anonymous source. “That gets you a seat on the bench. I was embarrassed for him.”
Ouch. That’s definitely a harsh statement, but it’s not totally surprising after seeing Wilson’s grade. Fillipponi did not reveal who actually said the quote, but former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger recently went on record to blast one of Wilson’s teammates, Broderick Jones.
The good news is that it was only one game. Every single player in the league has bad performances, so the team shouldn’t be worried just yet. It’s also important to remember that last Sunday was just Wilson’s fifth start in the NFL. It’s entirely possible that the linebacker could bounce back and become a quality starter in the Steel City.
Another silver lining is that the Steelers have a pair of experience backups behind Wilson and Queen. Malik Harrison was added in free agency this offseason, and he has started in 34 games over six seasons. Cole Holcomb is another option, and Holcomb has 56 starts under his belt.
The next chance for Wilson to improve will be in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks only put up 13 points in their Week 1 matchup and didn’t look nearly as potent on offense as the Jets, so it could be a perfect get-right game for Wilson.
