While Roman Wilson reportedly had a solid spring, he can’t take his foot off the pedal, according to Trai Essex. The former Steelers lineman, now a media analyst on his Snap Count podcast with Charlie Batch, weighed in on the third-year receiver. The pressure is on with the additions of Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard. To prevent from falling behind, Essex wants to see him be more proactive this summer.
“He seems to be having a lot of good practice days out there with A-Rod. A-Rod has said nothing but good things about him. But I do wonder, have they had the one-on-one conversation? Is Roman Wilson gonna take it upon himself during these six weeks?”, he asked.
“I think these six weeks might not be more important for anybody than they are for Roman Wilson. He needs to use this time to develop and forge a relationship with A-Rod”, Essex continued, likening it to the growing second-year relationships with DK Metcalf and even Ben Skowronek. “Roman Wilson has to find a way to go out to Malibu, go out there and get some one-on-one reps with A-Rod and develop that relationship so that he could have a spot on this offense come September”.
Last year, Aaron Rodgers signed just before minicamp, the Steelers’ final phase of spring. This year, he reported at the start of OTAs, so the timelines are different. He’ll still likely host some of his teammates over the break, however, for some work and bonding time. And Roman Wilson should certainly be a part of the group that heads out west.
It’s worth noting, and Trai Essex should be aware, that Roman Wilson was, in fact, a part of the workouts with Aaron Rodgers last summer. There’s documented evidence, in the form of a group picture of those who participated. Rodgers even has his arm around Wilson’s shoulder, the older behind Metcalf’s back.
Perhaps the better question is, will Germie Bernard be out there with Rodgers and Wilson? We know Metcalf went last year, and Pittman already has a relationship with Rodgers. He said that he and Rodgers already worked out together once before Rodgers even signed.
But it’s still critical for the success of the offense this year that there be better chemistry between the quarterback and skill positions compared to last season. After all, the Steelers swapped out starters in-season for pickups off the street mid-year. Roman Wilson was on the wrong side of that exchange, finishing the year on the bench.
That is, of course, all the more reason that he should be doing anything that is reasonably within his control to maximize his time building a rapport with Rodgers. He needs to be wherever Rodgers expects him to be. And equally importantly, he has to convince Rodgers that he can trust Wilson will be wherever he expects him to be. That wasn’t the case often enough last year, which was, evidently, the reason he lost playing time by season’s end.
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