Payton Wilson solely has one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers beneath his belt. Nonetheless, he already appears to grasp their tradition fairly properly. Talking in an interview posted Friday, Wilson was requested to explain the Steelers tradition in three phrases.
“I believe it’s simply, you recognize, powerful, quick and bodily,” Wilson stated on The German Steelers podcast. “Everytime you watch the Steelers, that’s what you see, proper? You see folks flying round, you see a imply group. And also you see guys that need to take different folks’s heads off. That’s simply the tradition round right here. I imply, that’s all the best way from the largest man on the group, all the best way all the way down to the smallest man on the group. That’s simply the persona and the tradition that we have now right here.”
Through the years, the phrases powerful, quick and bodily have been a great way to explain this unit. Nonetheless, they began to slide from that towards the top of the 2024 season.
Given their lack of run protection to finish the 12 months, the phrase bodily in all probability didn’t swimsuit them. The Steelers had been gashed in opposition to the run a number of occasions final 12 months, with issues in opposition to dangerous groups just like the New York Giants, and in opposition to the most effective groups, most notably their blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens within the playoffs.
That stated, it’s one thing they’ve labored to deal with this offseason, throughout all areas of their roster. On the line of defense, Pittsburgh drafted three gamers: Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black and Jack Sawyer. Harmon and Black particularly ought to assist in opposition to the run. Whereas Minkah Fitzpatrick nonetheless performed the run properly, Pittsburgh swapped him for a bodily nook in Jalen Ramsey.
Even on the offensive facet of the ball, the Steelers seemed so as to add that physicality. DK Metcalf is a big-bodied receiver who isn’t afraid to dam. And with Kaleb Johnson and Jaylen Warren, the Steelers needs to be fairly bodily within the run sport themselves.
It’s good to see Payton Wilson is shopping for into the tradition. He has a chance to actually make a reputation for himself this 12 months. After some nice moments in his rookie season, he’s in line to start out alongside Patrick Queen on the within.
You’ve received to be powerful to contend within the AFC North. The Steelers weren’t powerful sufficient final 12 months, and it confirmed because the season got here to a detailed. Whereas a few of their strikes this offseason had been stunning, it’s not a shock that they wished to be a more durable group general. In practically all of their strikes this offseason, the hassle to be extra bodily is clear. We’ll see if that makes a distinction or not in 2025.
