Pittsburgh Steelers WR Roman Wilson is entering a make-or-break season in his third year in the NFL. His rookie season was essentially wiped out due to injury, and Wilson failed to make an impact last season, catching just 12 passes and finding himself as a gameday inactive late in the season. The Steelers added Germie Bernard and Michael Pittman Jr. to the receiver room, and with the news that Aaron Rodgers is coming back, it could hurt Wilson more than help him.
Publicly, Wilson has praised Rodgers for pushing him and trying to motivate him. But Rodgers has expressed frustration on the field when Wilson makes a mistake, and Rodgers isn’t going to tolerate it if Wilson continues to struggle doing the little things that Rodgers wants his receivers to do.
To be fair, Rodgers has also offered plenty of praise for Wilson, even after he was benched. But earlier this offseason, Mark Kaboly dropped a tidbit that Wilson might not be happy if Rodgers returned. Now that it’s official, it’s worth revisiting.
In training camp, Wilson’s main competition is likely going to be Bernard for a role in the slot. DK Metcalf and Pittman will handle the outside, and theoretically, Wilson’s experience should help him see the field over a rookie. But Bernard is the type of receiver who has thrived with Rodgers and in a Mike McCarthy offense, and by all accounts, he’s a leader and a hard-worker with an attitude that Rodgers might appreciate.
It would be surprising, but not improbable if Wilson’s tenure with the Steelers ended before Week 1. Ross McCorkle left him off the roster in his 53-man roster prediction, and if the Steelers want to find a role for Eli Heidenreich to make the 53, it would likely come at the expense of Wilson.
Regardless of who is at quarterback, this year is a big one for Wilson, and if he shows up to offseason workouts with the right attitude and shows improvement, this will all be moot. But given how things went down last season, it’s fair to wonder if Wilson might be more negatively affected by Rodgers’ return than anyone else on the roster.
The next few months will give us a hint at whether Wilson can actually become a contributor with Rodgers under center.
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