The Steelers don’t have much hope for improvement on offense this year, which is why Roman Wilson becomes a topic. The second-year wide receiver has begun to play more but hasn’t really broken through yet. But it’s not as though he is surrounded by playmakers who are putting up big numbers. The reality is that this offense just isn’t going anywhere, expect maybe the wrong direction.
Wilson played less than Calvin Austin III Sunday, and he saw only two targets, making zero catches. But he didn’t have a shot at either of his targets, on one just doing a good job breaking up an interception. Other times, you could see him winning on his routes but not seeing a target.
Here's another one on 3rd and 9 after the illegal formation penalty. Burns the CB. Rudolph tried to throw into double coverage to Metcalf instead. pic.twitter.com/kP0jUigtjY
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) November 24, 2025
“The bigger issue, I think, is the lack of productivity from Calvin Austin III. If you go back the last three or four games, Roman Wilson has been a lot more productive than him”, Gerry Dulac said yesterday on 102.5 WDVE. “He actually has a couple touchdowns, which you can’t say about any of the other wide receivers on this team”.
Dulac defended Wilson amid conversations about everything going wrong with the Steelers. They drafted him to produce, but he isn’t putting up the numbers. He argued then who is, and why isn’t he? Is he seeing the opportunities?
“I’m not gonna sit here and diss Roman Wilson when there are other guys who are even less productive”, he said. “And you can start with Jonnu Smith, too. Where is this guy who’s $10-12 million a year who caught 85 balls last year? Where is this guy in their attack? Nowhere”.
A third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Roman Wilson was a non-factor as a rookie, largely due to injury. The Steelers were slow to integrate him into the rotation this season, and his snap counts have fluctuated. Pittsburgh ranks toward the bottom in pass attempts, so nobody is putting up big numbers.
Wilson is eighth on the team with 166 receiving yards, most of which have come in recent weeks. He has 12 receptions on 19 targets, along with two touchdown catches (tied for the second-most on the team). But both touchdowns occurred in “garbage time”, late in games when the score became irrelevant because the game was already out of hand.
At least in theory, the Steelers could get more out of Roman Wilson, and thus their offense, than they have. The tape shows him winning routes, and that’s a good starting point. He has good speed, and his nuance is improving. He might not always be on the same page with the quarterbacks, but then again that seems to be true for the rest of the room, too.
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