The Pittsburgh Steelers may need Roman Wilson in 2025, depending on how they address the wide receiver position. As a third-round pick, that isn’t an unreasonable expectation, of course, but will he be up for it? While he struggled through injuries during his rookie season, Bob Labriola believes his inability to contribute went beyond that.
Labriola wrote for the Steelers’ website, “My understanding of the situation is that at no point was there a legitimate level of confidence that Roman Wilson understood the offense and his responsibilities within it to the degree that would allow him to execute it at game speed during the stretch run of an NFL regular season”.
This was from an Asked and Answered segment, and the reader brought up some points. He noted Mike Tomlin’s comments about Roman Wilson falling behind the moving train. He also referenced some praise from WR coach Zach Azzanni, saying he was working his tail off. But according to Labriola, the Steelers never felt he was where he needed to be mentally.
The Steelers selected Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Given their wide receiver situation, having traded Diontae Johnson, they likely counted on him contributing to some degree. After some early promise in training camp, however, he injured his ankle on the first day in pads.
After missing all of the preseason and the vast bulk of training camp, Wilson didn’t begin practicing in earnest until the Steelers’ regular season had already begun. He dressed for just one game in Week 6, later injuring his hamstring. He played just five snaps, and two weeks later landed on the Reserve/Injured List.
It was around that time that the Steelers’ WRs coach sang Wilson’s praises. He talked about how gung-ho the rookie was and wanted to lay out a plan for his return. Azzanni praised his mentality and even went so far as to say they would need him down the stretch.
Then they traded for Mike Williams, and that was the last we heard of him. Almost, anyway. Near the end of the Steelers’ season, they did open Roman Wilson’s 21-day practice window. Needless to say, they never activated him, and he did not play another snap.
Recently, Steelers GM Omar Khan expressed confidence in Wilson. He said that the rookie was in position to play had they not been eliminated in the AFC Wild Card Round. But he also added an “if we needed him”, supporting the notion that they essentially redshirted him.
The outstanding question is how much the Steelers’ unwillingness to play Roman Wilson last year was mental more than physical. Of course, especially for rookies, the mental and the physical are inextricably linked. You need to learn on the field by doing, and he missed a ton of on-field work.
But that really shouldn’t be an issue going forward. Players miss their entire rookie seasons due to injury and are no worse off for it going into the next season. There’s no reason to think Roman Wilson will be behind mentally as he heads into Year 2. Sure, it would have been nice for him to have gained more experience last year, but every season is its own unique process.
