Over the first week of training camp, rookie WR Roman Wilson was progressing nicely and looked like he could be a weapon for the Pittsburgh Steelers as early as Week 1 of the regular season. Over the first four practices, he caught all seven of his targets for 97 yards and a touchdown, per Alex Kozora’s training camp stats. Unfortunately, he suffered an ankle injury that is threatening the beginning of his rookie season.
His injury was described as week-to-week, and he has since shed the walking boot and brace that he was seen wearing at training camp. The injury occurred on July 30, so it’s been a little over three weeks. If Wilson has any hopes of being a Week 1 contributor on offense, he would likely need to play in the final preseason game on Saturday, or at least begin practicing in a limited capacity with the team.
“I don’t think he is going to play. He did not practice yesterday,” Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo said via 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show on Wednesday. “His situation certainly bears watching. Obviously he’s a third-round pick. They’re gonna carry him on the 53-man roster. But if you’re a rookie and you don’t play in any preseason games, depending on what else goes on with this roster, I think he’s a candidate to start on IR.
“So that’s something to keep an eye on next week. Now, if he returns to practice later this week and next week, then we’ll see. But not looking good for Roman Wilson right now.”
If he does end up being placed on the Reserve/Injured list when roster cutdowns occur next Tuesday, Wilson would be forced to miss at least four games. He would be eligible to return for the Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
This outcome would somewhat surprise me. Other reports have recently indicated that there’s optimism Wilson could return very soon to practice. Adam Caplan gave a 7- to 10-day timetable for a potential return to practice on Aug. 13. That would have Wilson returning to practice over the next couple days. But as Fittipaldo stated, he did not practice with the team on Tuesday.
Gerry Dulac has previously reported that Wilson will likely be back for the final preseason game. The clock is obviously ticking on the potential of that happening if he didn’t practice on Tuesday. The final preseason game is in Detroit, so the Steelers only have a couple more days to work before traveling north.
Given the state of the wide receiver room, I would think they do everything possible to avoid a trip to IR for Wilson. But until he starts practicing again and showing good progress, there remains a possibility that he could start his career in sweats on the sideline.
