The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense will be under new leadership with Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham taking over for the 2026 season. The front office added several different playmakers in free agency to try to complement those that are returning from the 2025 team and help them return to their Steel Curtain ways. The team finished near the bottom of the league in the 2025 season in total defense, as they were 26th in the NFL with 356.9 yards per game. Their passing defense finished 29th, while the rushing defense was 13th. There is one returning player in the middle of that defense however, that can earn himself a nice payday.
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Steelers Defensive Coordinator Patrick Graham during an interview with Missi Matthews in 2026.
Linebacker Payton Wilson played a large part in the team having a successful rush defense in the 2025 season. In the most recent episode of Steelers Collective, insider Ray Fittipaldo mentioned that he is a playmaker in the middle of the defense and may earn himself a payday because of it. Joey Porter Jr. is just one of a few on defense who may be slated to get a payday ahead of him, but his inspired play prompted Fittipaldo's comments.
"I can’t believe we’re saying this, paying another defender, Payton Wilson," Fittipaldo said. "This is his year, this is his contract year. If he has a great year and he proves he can thrive in Patrick Graham’s defense, they’re going to have to pay another defender. I know inside linebacker, you’re not going to get as much as an edge or even as much as a defensive end, but this is a big year for Payton Wilson and he is a playmaker in the middle of that defense."
While Porter had a breakout 2025 season, the former North Carolina State linebacker could also work his way into contract talks with another strong season.
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Steelers' Payton Wilson runs for a touchdown after the defense caused a turnover against the Bengals.
Wilson has appeared in 17 games in each of his first two seasons. He also has added one interception to the stat sheet in each of those two campaigns.
Steelers' Defense Can Be Strong With Veteran Play Like Wilson's
While the team added guys like Jamel Dean at cornerback to play alongside Porter and safety Jaquan Brisker to bolster their secondary, Wilson will yet again be a key factor up front in disrupting the quarterback. In his 2025 season, he really blossomed into a strong linebacker as he posted 126 combined tackles and added four tackles for loss. Of those 126 tackles, a whopping 74 of them came as solo tackles last year.
The franchise just paid edge rusher Nick Herbig a four-year, $100 million extension in early June, a deal that keeps him with the team through the 2030 NFL season. While Wilson would not command that kind of money, a deal with Porter is something that has gained some attention this offseason, so a great 2026 campaign from the third-year linebacker could make things tough on the organization. However, NFL deals are frequently restructured in order to clear up salary cap space, so General Manager Omar Khan may be able to make it happen for the former Wolfpack linebacker if he sees fit. While the defense has underperformed in recent years, especially given how much the organization has spent on it, this year could be the perfect recipe for things to finally come together.
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Steelers linebacker Payton Wilson runs with the football during a game against the Indianapolis Colts in 2025.
If things are finally going to come together and the Steelers are going to get back to their past form on defense, a veteran like Wilson that now has two years of experience under his belt in the NFL will be at the forefront of that turnaround. Graham did not really have much star power outside of Maxx Crosby in Las Vegas. However, there are several younger players finding their form in the NFL as they turn into veterans, as well as some more experienced veterans the team added that give him the resources he needs to transform the unit in Pittsburgh.
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