Back in March, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded one of their top wide receivers, sending Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. It left the team without a true WR2 on the roster. They attempted to fill that hole a month later by drafting rookie receiver Roman Wilson in the third round.
There are few things in the NFL more exciting than when your team uses a high draft pick on a receiver. It seemed like Wilson could make a instant impact on the roster. Obviously, there was the whole Brandon Aiyuk saga, which waged on throughout the offseason. Apart from that, Wilson seemed like the best candidate to add some talent to the receiver position for Pittsburgh.
Unfortunately, things haven’t gone according to plan, as Wilson has yet to take the field. As a result, Wilson finds his name in an article posted by The 33rd Team on Friday, which details five rookies who have failed to live up to expectations in 2024.
“We’ll see if Roman Wilson can get on the field and have any impact in the future, but it’s been a really rocky start for the former Michigan Wolverine,” author Marcus Mosher wrote. “There is no doubt that Pittsburgh fans are highly disappointed by his lack of usage this year.”
Yes, it is disappointing that Wilson hasn’t played yet this year. Wilson finally made it off the injury report back in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he ended up being a healthy scratch. Making things more frustrating is the lack of receiving talent on Pittsburgh’s roster as well. Aside from George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth, the Steelers’ next leading receiver is Calvin Austin, who has only eight receptions through five games.
With that in mind, it can be frustrating that Wilson hasn’t suited up yet. However, that’s not necessarily his fault. It feels unfair to label him as one of the top-five rookies to fall short of expectations.
Wilson injured his ankle in late July, and it caused him to miss all of training camp and the preseason. He never got his first full padded practice in until after the regular season already began. Considering he’s a rookie, that’s a very tough predicament to be in. With a lack of overall receiving talent on the roster, it is a little frustrating to be without Wilson but it makes sense why it’s taken this long to play.
Fortunately for fans and Wilson, his wait is over. He’ll suit up for the first time this year this Sunday and likely see first snaps of the season, though it’s unclear exactly how many snaps he’ll receive. Either way, it will be exciting to see him on the field. For Wilson, it gives him a chance to push back against some of his doubters and quiet too-early concern about his career arc.
