How soon can Roman Wilson get back to the Steelers after suffering an ankle injury?
The Steelers suffered their second injury of note during training camp with Roman Wilson going down with an ankle. The first injury, of course was Russell Wilson injuring his calf during the conditioning test. But Russell Wilson is already getting back into action, at least, participating in practice yesterday.
It’s not clear when Roman Wilson will be back in action, but it sounds like not incredibly soon. It sounds like the Steelers expect to get him back in time for the start of the regular season, but that’s a long way away. How much sooner could he return before that?
Because let’s face it, if Wilson is sitting out until the start of the regular season, he isn’t playing much. At least he won’t have much of a role initially, considering he has barely done anything up to this point. After looking like he could make a run at starting the opener, now it seems he’ll have to be patient.
Wilson’s ankle sprain will obviously limit his practice participation for some time, and rookies who don’t practice don’t play. The sooner he can return, the better chance he has of being a meaningful early contributor as a rookie.
But the Steelers also need to be cautious here, because they can make things worse if he returns too early. Roman Wilson could be an important player later on this year even if he doesn’t contribute much early. And yes, the Steelers believe they should contend for a Super Bowl this year, so they want him available.
To his credit, Wilson was building off two strong training camp days before going down yesterday early in practice. I’m sure the coaches were looking forward to seeing work in pads and if he could stack good days. Now his progress will be postponed for likely at least a couple of weeks. He can’t get back soon enough, both for his own benefit and the team’s.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The Steelers are past free agency and the draft and their roster for the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
