Steelers LB Payton Wilson Eager to ‘Destroy’ Former Teammate Justin Fields in Week 1

The Pittsburgh Steelers, like many other teams across the league, have struggled in recent years with maintaining consistency when it comes to their roster.

Sometimes, like when there are underperforming players, turnover is good. Other times, it can be to the detriment of their team. When it comes to the Steelers quarterback room from last year, it is unclear whether the team will be better or worse off. Both starting quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, will start for their new teams in the coming year.

One of them, Fields, will open the season against the Steelers. Fields will lead the New York Jets on their first offensive drives of the season, whilst the Steelers will trot out last season's Jets quarterback in 4-time Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers.

With that, many of the current Steelers will get to face a former teammate, and those on the defense will do so directly. Second-year linebacker Payton Wilson got a chance to talk about the season on an appearance on The Insiders, where he spoke about the game and how excited he is to face a former teammate in Fields once the regular season rolls around.

"You try to take it game by game, but Week 1's not too far away, so you're just chomping at the bit to get to that. It'd be fun. I've actually built a great relationship with Justin", Wilson said. "He was in some of our Bible studies, and the way that he approaches the game is amazing. I'm just excited to get out there and compete against him. Obviously, we want to go out there and absolutely destroy Justin, but at the end of the day, Justin's a great guy, and I'm just super excited to play against him, and I can't wait for that Week 1 matchup".

The Steelers will have a tough test when they take on the Jets, and seeing a familiar face could complicate things if the Steelers haven't changed their defensive plans too much year over year, as Fields might be privy to some of their defensive workings.