With the Pittsburgh Steelers adding Mike Williams, what does that mean for rookie WR Roman Wilson? Nothing good, surely, and perhaps the nail in the coffin of his rookie season, Ray Fittipaldo speculates. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer has not been bullish about Wilson’s contributory prospects all along, and this certainly doesn’t bring him any closer to participation.
Asked in his latest chat session if Roman Wilson would even play this year (beyond the five snaps he has already played) following the Mike Williams trade, Fittipaldo responded, “I’m guessing not unless there are other injuries between now and the end of the regular season”.
The Steelers are, of course, actually getting healthy, including Cordarrelle Patterson, who occasionally functions as a wide receiver. Mike Tomlin has previously sat Wilson, dressing only four true receivers, stating that Patterson’s ability to contribute there is one of the reasons why.
The Steelers selected Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft as part of their plans to replace Diontae Johnson. They finally took the next step in that plan with yesterday’s trade acquisition of Mike Williams, which will make it very hard for Wilson to contribute.
Considering he only dressed for one game in the first eight weeks and is currently hurt, the rookie still has a long road ahead of him. Wilson has battled injuries throughout the year, limiting his opportunities for on-field growth.
Without Wilson, the Steelers have relied on George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, and Van Jefferson at wide receiver. Scotty Miller makes the occasional appearance, though he has only caught a pass in one game. Williams obviously comes in likely to leapfrog everybody in this group short of Pickens.
Roman Wilson injured his hamstring the week after his NFL debut, and the Steelers placed him on the Reserve/Injured List prior to their Week 8 game. He must remain on IR for the next three games before he can even begin practicing again.
Despite his latest injury setback, WR coach Zach Azzanni is impressed with Wilson’s level of engagement. He told Steelers reporters last week that Wilson came to him looking to put together a plan about how to grow while he is out.
But with Pickens, Williams, Austin, and Jefferson, plus a diverse group of running backs and tight ends, Roman Wilson will have a hard time finding a helmet on this Steelers offense, even when he is healthy. The Williams trade only makes it seem increasingly likely that his rookie season is a lost cause.
Fortunately, for him, all he has to do is look to Calvin Austin for a mid-round rookie who turned his career around after missing his rookie season. While Austin isn’t putting up Pro Bowl numbers, he is proving to Roman Wilson that you can still develop into a legitimate contributor even after getting off on the wrong foot. Or ankle, or hamstring, whatever the case may be.
