When will Roman Wilson make his Steelers debut?
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie WR Roman Wilson ramped up his practice participation this week, but what does that mean for Sunday? Only Mike Tomlin is going to be able to answer that question, perhaps 90 minutes before kickoff. While he practiced in full on Thursday, Wilson was listed as limited again on Friday, but still managed a Questionable designation for Sunday’s game.
The Steelers’ third-round pick out of Michigan, Roman Wilson lost a huge chunk of his offseason due to injury. He was beginning to impress when he suffered an ankle injury four days into training camp. Wilson missed the rest of camp but has been back working since the regular season began.
He did not play in the Steelers’ season opener, but Wilson appears to be getting in more work this week. He says himself that he believes he is ready to go, but you know players aren’t always their best advocates. And sliding back from full to limited by the end of the week is never encouraging, especially not for a rookie.
Beyond that, even if Roman Wilson is healthy enough to play, that is only step one. Availability is the bare minimum qualification for participation in an NFL game. The reality is he doesn’t have any kind of role in this offense because he hasn’t been around. That’s through no fault of his own, of course, rather due to injury, but it is no less true.
Not that the Steelers have bountiful resources at wide receiver, which is Wilson’s greatest advantage. Outside of George Pickens, the Steelers’ wide receivers didn’t do much receiving in the opener. Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III each caught one pass, combining for eight yards. Scotty Miller wasn’t even targeted, yet he contributed more than all of them via special teams.
One thing we know is that the Steelers should have a helmet available for Wilson. They elevated WR Ben Skowronek from the practice squad for the opener, so if they want to dress the rookie, all they have to do is not elevate him again. They can only elevate him two more times before he loses eligibility, anyway.
If Tomlin feels he’s seen enough from Wilson, even with limited participation on Friday, and they can find special teams snaps to make up for the 11 Skowronek played last week, there is at least a slight chance he could play this week. But considering he is listed as Questionable to play this week, one would imagine he has a pretty good chance of playing the week after, at least from a health standpoint.
Another game with minimal receiving contributions from the other wide receivers would certainly encourage Arthur Smith to find a place for Wilson on the field sooner rather than later. Then again, if Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller make some plays, they may be even less inclined to rush Wilson into the mix.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is here, 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 regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers 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.
