Is Steelers WR Roman Wilson at risk of beginning the season on the Reserve/Injured List?
Steelers rookie WR Roman Wilson suffered an ankle injury in the first week of training camp. He said himself that he won’t be ready for the final preseason game, but what about the first real game? Having missed nearly all of training camp, the coaches might be hesitant to play him right away anyway.
Yet Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette yesterday suggested that Wilson could be a candidate to begin the season on the Reserve/Injured List—how plausible is that? To be fair, he said that before Wilson spoke to the media. While he was vague with his answers, he claimed to “be back soon”. Yet what is his definition of soon? That’s virtually meaningless without context, ranging from one week to six or seven.
Granted, as far as we know, Roman Wilson only suffered a relatively straightforward ankle sprain. Even severe ones don’t necessarily end your season, though they can keep you out for some time. Kevin Dotson missed the back half of his second season because of an ankle injury, for example.
A player on the Reserve/Injured List must remain there for at least four games, so if the Steelers don’t feel Wilson would contribute during that time, it could be a sensible move. You have a three-week window to activate a player, during which time they can practice.
A player must have an injury significant enough to qualify for the list, and we don’t know that applies here. We know that Wilson has already missed a few weeks of practice, but there are also two-plus more weeks until the regular season begins.
If the Steelers feel Roman Wilson wouldn’t practice for at least a week or two and would be unlikely to begin contributing right away anyway, they could place him on the Reserve/Injured List and allow him time to ramp up during the three-week activation period. Of course, if he is already healthy enough to practice, the Steelers can’t break any rules and “stash” him.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or 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 in training camp and the preseason and 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. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
