The 2026 season represents a chance for players up and down the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster to break out. Out of everyone, Roman Wilson might need a breakout season the most. Wilson is heading into his third year without ever establishing a consistent role, now under a new coaching staff that just a player drafted his position in the second round.
But to former Steeler Vince Williams, it’s not time to count him out.
“I think, we have not seen what this guy can do,” ” Williams said Tuesday on SNR’s Steelers Standard aftrer selecting Wilson as his offensive breakout candidate. “Everybody’s waiting for him to break out. Like, this will be the optimal time for him to actually just come alive and show Steeler Nation why we drafted him.”
It sure would be the optimal time. Wilson is under some pressure with Germie Bernard’s presence in the wide receiver room. But he is getting off on the right foot this offseason. It’s been reported Wilson is still “clearly” the WR3 on the team, behind Michael Pittman Jr. and DK Metcalf. That may change throughout training camp and the preseason, but Wilson has put in work this offseason, earning praise from Mike McCarthy.
A large part of things will come down to his relationship with Aaron Rodgers. Wilson certainly showed flashes last year but couldn’t form a consistent connection with his quarterback. He fell out of the rotation late in the year after the Steelers brought in veterans like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen. However, in a new offense, Wilson may have more of a chance to prove himself.
“I don’t want to say we haven’t seen him do anything, but he’s been stifled a little bit. And I would love to see him, and how much he could actually contribute to an offense,” Williams said.
Rodgers was clearly hesitant with receivers he didn’t trust last year. Aside from DK Metcalf, there wasn’t really another wide receiver who got consistent targets throughout the season. Arthur Smith’s offense was stale at times, and a combination of all those things kept Wilson from carving out a role for himself.
There’s a lot he needs to improve on in 2026. Earning Rodgers’ trust and being in the right spots at the right times are the most important of them all. But the second year between a receiver and a quarterback is usually better. And Roman Wilson did connect with Rodgers on the occasional big play last year.
Williams thinks we could see even more out of him in 2026.
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