Despite the offseason hype over Roman Wilson, the Steelers have hardly involved him, and Ray Fittipaldo doesn’t expect a change. The veteran beat writer discussed the second-year receiver’s role on 93.7 The Fan yesterday after catching one pass in three games. Outside of DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III, the wide receivers are not contributing in the passing game.
“It just seems like they’re gonna ride with Metcalf and Austin”, Fittipaldo said. “Roman Wilson’s probably not gonna be a big part of it. They’re gonna be focused on the two starting wideouts, Jonnu Smith, and Pat Freiermuth. And until there’s an injury, I just don’t see how Roman Wilson is a big factor in this offense.
“He had a nice camp and everything, but preseason is the preseason. For whatever reason, whether it’s playing time or chemistry with [Aaron] Rodgers, he just doesn’t seem to be a big part of things at this point”.
The Steelers selected Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. After suffering an ankle injury on the first day of padded practices in training camp, he fell into the shadows. His injury lingered into regular-season practices, preventing him from participating on the field. He finally made his debut in mid-October, playing five uneventful snaps, before injuring his hamstring. The Steelers placed him on the Reserve/Injured list, and he never played again that year.
This year, after trading George Pickens, it seemed the Steelers had big plans for Wilson. And they talked about him as if they did. The beat reporters talked about him as if they did. Even Aaron Rodgers talked about Wilson as if he expected a significant role.
Yet he has played all of 41 snaps so far—none on special teams—drawing two targets. He has caught one, for seven yards, and that has been the extent of his contributions. In contrast, both Metcalf and Austin have 15-plus targets. They have 18 combined receptions for 261 yards and four touchdowns. Ben Skowronek has one catch for a 22-yard touchdown, but that’s because the defense left him open. Wilson did not see a target until Week 2.
It’s worth noting that there is no clear upward trajectory in Wilson’s playing time. After seeing nine snaps in the opener, he played 22 in Week 2, and then 10 last Sunday. Both of his targets came in Week 2, Wilson never seeing the ball in either of the team’s wins.
After a slow start during training camp, Roman Wilson gradually started to make plays and garner attention. The Steelers kept his preseason playing time brief, but he looked the part at that time. Since then, he hasn’t done anything wrong, but he simply isn’t a big part of the offense. At least, he hasn’t been in their game plans for the first three weeks. That certainly can always change. But the reality is it seems like we’re having the discussion about getting somebody more involved for just about everybody.
