The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent the offseason looking for answers on defense, and the middle of that unit remains one of the biggest questions hanging over the roster.
Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark made that point clear during an appearance on the Mina Kimes Show on ESPN, saying he’s already talked with new assistant head coach Joe Whitt Jr. about the need to get more from the linebacker group.
"Joe Whitt Jr., who is now the actual - he's the assistant head coach - and those are the conversations I've had with him," Clark shared. "I've had conversations with him about how do you fix the second level of this defense? That's extremely important."
Clark’s “second level” comment was aimed squarely at the Steelers’ middle linebackers, a spot that has been a problem for years. Since the spinal cord injury that ended Ryan Shazier’s career, Pittsburgh has never really found the same kind of presence in the middle.
That issue showed up again in 2025. The Steelers struggled badly against the run, with opponents averaging 113.1 rushing yards per game. There were moments when Patrick Queen and the rest of the group held up, but too often they were pushed around in the box.
Coverage was just as shaky. Queen allowed completions on just under 70% of the passes thrown his way, while Payton Wilson, who has been viewed as the better coverage linebacker of the two, gave up a completion rate of 91.1%. That number is helped by checkdowns and dump-offs, but it still reflects a larger problem in pass defense.
Clark said the fix has to come from the coaching side as well.
"You have to get better play from the linebacker position," Clark said. "I know PG (Patrick Graham) is gonna have to figure that out from the defensive coordinator standpoint."
For now, the Steelers appear set at linebacker heading into the regular season, which means outside help is unlikely to be coming. The pressure instead falls on the players already in place to adapt to the new staff and produce more.
Queen is in a contract year, and Wilson is also playing for a new deal and long-term security. If the coaching change unlocks better play from both of them, Pittsburgh could finally turn one of its biggest weak spots into a strength.
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ESPNs read on Wilson is encouraging for the long term, pointing to the kind of athletic upside that can lead to a bigger third-year jump. For the Steelers, though, the real issue is more immediate: whether Wilson can become dependable enough to settle in alongside Patrick Queen and help stabilize a defense that needs that spot to stop being a weekly question. [Read more 🡒]