Player: WR Roman Wilson
Stock Value: Even
Reasoning: For a third consecutive week, rookie WR Roman Wilson remains in limbo. Is he in a better position this week to play than he has been in the past two weeks? We’ll have to look at the factors, including health and availability of opportunity. The conclusion is simple: it’s too early in the week to tell.
Steelers WR Roman Wilson returned to practice last week but was limited most of the time. He participated in full on Thursday but then regressed to limited on Friday. The Steelers listed him as questionable for Sunday’s game, but they did not play him in Denver. Instead, they elevated WR Ben Skowronek from the practice squad for the second consecutive week.
So what has changed since then? Well, Skowronek is now on the Reserve/Injured List, making it impossible for the Steelers to dress him over Wilson. Yet they listed Wilson as limited in yesterday’s practice, which is obviously a concern. Regardless of what his progression might look like, rookies need practice reps.
But I mean, Roman Wilson looks to be moving pretty fluidly based on this video from Wednesday’s practice. He doesn’t exactly look hobbled though the fact remains he didn’t practice in full. Perhaps the Steelers are being extra cautious, easing him back before going full today. That is what one can hope for.
The Steelers’ inactives last week were QB Russell Wilson, G Isaac Seumalo, Roman Wilson, DL Dean Lowry, and safeties Terrell Edmunds and Jalen Elliot. If they don’t promote anybody from the practice squad this week, they will only need five inactives. One quarterback and one offensive lineman will be inactive, as will one defensive lineman. Elliott has been inactive for two weeks while they just signed Edmunds for depth.
From a practical standpoint, Roman Wilson should have a helmet available to him. That is only if the Steelers are comfortable with the health of his ankle. And that is only if the Steelers are comfortable with the workload he has gotten during practice. And that is also only if the Steelers believe he is ready to contribute. Being available is only the most important ability, not the only ability. As of now, there are still too many ifs to know where this is going. A lot of that may ride on his practice status for today.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
