This is the seventh in a series on the Steelers' roster as the team prepares to report to training camp at Saint Vincent College July 28. Today: Inside linebacker.
Inside linebackers: Carson Bruener, Malik Harrison, Cole Holcomb, Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Jacoby Windmon
As the winds of change swirled for the Steelers this offseason, one weathervane remained entirely unmoved.
The inside linebacker position has been just about untouched. Even position coach Scott McCurley returns from 2025 to 2026, along with each player on his unit a season ago.
At quarterback, the Steelers added third-round pick Drew Allar as the only modification. Every other position has a new assistant in charge of their development, and at least one or two new faces.
The Steelers are running it back in the middle of their defense, from Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson as the starters, to Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison as the primary backups. Carson Bruener also is coming off a rookie campaign in which he was a standout on special teams. Jacoby Windmon, who also can play outside linebacker, is back after a stint on the practice squad last season.
This group will be led by Queen, but Wilson is in a pivotal season. Queen's contract is winding down, while Wilson is a homegrown Steeler two years removed from being a third-round pick.
As a duo, they live the old football adage that the best ability is availability. Neither has missed a game in his career, which is particularly impressive for Queen, dating to 2020. Queen also has racked up at 98 or more tackles, 6 or more tackles for loss, 1 or more forced fumble and 1 or more fumble recovery in all six of his NFL seasons.
But for as much as Queen is a tackling machine, he didn't lead the Steelers in that category last season. That distinction went to Wilson, who had 126 to edge out Queen's 120, and 74 of those were solo.
To be fair to Queen, 17 of Wilson's stops came on special teams. Still, it shows his aptitude for wrapping up ball-carriers in any phase of the game.
As Wilson goes into year three, it stands to reason he'll continue to diagnose blocking schemes faster, read and react quicker, and process what he's seeing. We know Wilson has speed. Just watch him chase down Jordan Addison at the end of the win against the Vikings in Dublin. But solidifying the mental side of the game will allow him to put that speed to even better use.
Whoever gets the green dot on his helmet to be the hub of communication — it's been Queen for his entire tenure in Pittsburgh so far — will be tasked with keeping everyone on one accord in a new scheme. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and his staff will have their own verbiage every player must master, but particularly the inside linebackers.
Holcomb and Harrison provide much more experience than your typical reserves, with 108 combined NFL starts. Beyond their physicality at linebacker, both also have embraced contributing on special teams.
That's where Bruener shined after making the team as a seventh-round pick. He knows what it means to be a Steeler, thanks to his father Mark — former tight end and current scout here — and Carson's work ethic covering kicks and punts personified that. Bruener trailed only Pro Bowler Ben Skowronek in special-teams tackles with 19, most of any rookie across the league.
