While Roman Wilson had a big day yesterday, he still has a long way to go—and a coach to help him get there. The second-year man raved about Steelers WR coach Zach Azzanni, crediting him for developing his game. Although he made some plays yesterday, he rattled off a list of things they are still working on moving forward.
“We’re talking about right now, I get kind of wide in my stance”, Wilson said, via the Steelers’ website. “He wants me to get my feet in front of myself, which I actually need to work on. Like, edge break, top-end, coming negative out of my breaks, a lot of different things. It’s been a real blessing working with Coach [Azzanni]”.
Most of these are straightforward, self-explanatory elements of playing wide receiver for the layman. An edge break, for example, is the angle in your route, typically a sharp cut to create separation. The negative in a break is when you add wasted motion, even a step backward, to cut into your break. Wilson is aware of these weaknesses, at least, and addressing them while making progress.
A third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Roman Wilson is battling for playing time after a rookie year lost to injuries. Behind DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III, he is seeing the most first-team work with the Steelers’ offense. However, at least until recently, he has had a pretty quiet training camp so far.
As a rookie, Wilson injured his ankle on the first day of padded practices and his season never recovered. He continued to rehab into the regular season and spent time as a healthy(ish) scratch. After finally dressing for one game, playing five snaps, the injury bug bit him again.
So far this offseason, he has stayed healthy, which is something he actively worked on addressing. For one thing, he bulked up a little, hoping to avoid nagging minor injuries. But staying healthy is merely giving him the opportunity to earn playing time, not handing it to him.
Although the Steelers are running Wilson with the starters, they do have other wide receivers. They have been using Ben Skowronek recently in Austin’s absence, for example, and Scotty Miller and Robert Woods are two veteran players with NFL resumes.
Pittsburgh has had high-pedigreed players who lacked production despite significant playing time before. James Washington and Markus Wheaton, depending on the season, would both qualify. In the past two years, they have had Allen Robinson II and Van Jefferson. If Roman Wilson is going to log significant snaps all season, he had better produce. Or at least he better block like Darnell Washington.
