The Pittsburgh Steelers might still be in the market for another wide receiver ahead of the start of the 2025 season, but one young receiver continues to emerge as a potential weapon under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Through two preseason games, second-year wide receiver Roman Wilson has flashed in a big way, especially against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Saturday. He’s worked well off play-action, creating big chunk plays in the process, and even showed the ability to take the top off the defense on his 42-yard catch from Mason Rudolph.
With Calvin Austin III, the No. 2 receiver coming into training camp, dealing with an oblique injury that has slowed him and veteran Robert Woods largely being a disappointment, it has opened the door for Wilson to take a significant step forward. To his credit, he’s doing that.
But the Steelers seem to still be looking. For now though, Wilson could be the guy who emerges opposite star receiver DK Metcalf. That has former NFL GM Doug Whaley “cautiously optimistic” about Wilson moving forward.
“But again, until the lights come on and you see it against ones — now you do like that against Tampa. He ran away from the starting point. He found a way, if there was a coverage bust or anything, you still gotta know where to find open holes in the zone on that second pass. So yeah, all positive signs,” Whaley said of Wilson, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “But hey, I think the true tests, especially for Roman Wilson, isn’t gonna be game one, two, or three. It’ll be game four, five and six after they get three games on him and say, ‘Okay this is how they’re using them, let’s start putting coverages not only to double DK, but combination coverage on Roman.’
“If he can step up and be something where defensive coordinators have to really pay attention to along with DK, then it’s gonna open up something for the tight ends or the running backs out of the backfield. So that’s very important.”
What Wilson has done in the first two preseason games is very encouraging. Opening up the preseason on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Wilson hauled in a 19-yard strike from Rudolph on the Steelers’ first offensive play of the game. He later added a 5-yard reception on a quick screen, getting some good work in and being a focal point on the Steelers’ first drive of the game.
Against Tampa Bay Wilson tapped into the explosive element of his game. The 42-yarder from Rudolph gave the Steelers a huge spark, and then he was wide open on a 30-yard catch-and-run from Skylar Thompson off play-action. It was a coverage bust by the Buccaneers, but Wilson took advantage of it.
Wilson’s performances in the preseason have been a continuation of his strong close to training camp. Though he got off to a slow start in Latrobe in late July and early August, he found his footing after some encouragement from quarterback Aaron Rodgers and really started to take off.
Now, he looks like he’s going to be an integral part of the Steelers’ passing game. Things are starting to slow down for him, and the confidence is there. That should be a dangerous sign for opposing defenses moving forward.
