Pittsburgh Steelers WR Roman Wilson was the latest guest on the Steel Here podcast hosted by Jersey Jerry and Kevin Adams, and Wilson, Pittsburgh’s first third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, said all he cares about is winning. While he said a Rookie of the Year award would be something “he’d love to have,” his goals are just to contribute to a winning cause.
“It’s kind of funny you say winning, Rookie of the Year, all that, those are all great accolades I would love to have. But for me, I just want to come in, I want to start and I want to be the reason we win some of these games,” Wilson said. “I know the Steelers are a great team and they’re gonna do good regardless, but I want to be the reason we start getting going. I would love that.”
That’s the ideal attitude for a rookie to have, especially a wide receiver since they can get a reputation as being divas. Wilson doesn’t come in with that reputation, as he embraces blocking and really just wants to win. Coming to a Steelers team that went 10-7 last season and got better in the offseason certainly gives him a good chance to do so, and Wilson is going to have to contribute given the current state of Pittsburgh’s wide receiver room.
While the team can still make a trade for a “significant playmaker,” Wilson is on track to be the team’s second-most productive receiver behind George Pickens. The Steelers made a few bargain-bin signings by adding Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins, who are fine as depth and No. 4-No. 5 receiver types but expecting anything more than that out of them would be a mistake. The same can be said for Calvin Austin III, who had just 17 receptions for 180 yards in 2023.
For Roman Wilson, if he can make life easier for Russell Wilson or Justin Fields at quarterback, he’s going to produce, and he may be the reason the team starts getting going. He never quits on a play, which is going to be crucial as Russell Wilson and Fields have the ability and tendency to extend plays. Roman Wilson could find himself getting open by always looking for the soft spots or just using his speed to get himself open.
It’s a goal that he has a good chance of accomplishing, as if the Steelers are going to win, Roman Wilson is going to be a big part of making sure that’s the case with his production. He’s going to be behind Pickens in the passing game, but there’s still a lot of work that could come his way and help make him a positive contributor to Pittsburgh winning.
Watch the full episode of The Steel Here podcast below.
