The likes of Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, Patrick Queen, Jalen Ramsey, Darius Slay, Joey Porter Jr. and DeShon Elliott didn’t play with the first-team defense on Saturday night in the preseason opener, but that didn’t stop the defense under the leadership of second-year linebacker Payton Wilson from making some plays.
Wilson, who is the starter next to Queen in the middle, handled the green dot duties Saturday night for the top unit and saw the defense hold the Jacksonville Jaguars to a field goal on the opening drive before giving way to the backups.
Though he was out there for just 11 snaps, Wilson saw a lot that he liked from the defense.