When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Roman Wilson, they saw a wide receiver who looked a bit like legendary Steeler Hines Ward.
So far, Wilson has not come close to living up to the lofty comparison. He suffered an ankle injury that robbed him of training camp and the early part of his rookie season. He only appeared in one game in 2024 and did not register a single target. In his second season, Wilson played in 13 games. He caught 12 passes (on 21 targets) for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s a far cry from what the Steelers thought they were getting. So, they’ve invested in the position in other ways this offseason. They traded for WR Michael Pittman Jr. and drafted WR Germie Bernard. That’s why The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo believes that Roman Wilson is the Steelers player who has the most to prove in 2026.
“The Steelers had hoped Roman Wilson would take a leap in Year 2 to be part of the answer at WR2,” DeFabo wrote. “However, his connection with Aaron Rodgers was inconsistent, and by the end of 2025, the former Michigan receiver slid down the depth chart, leapfrogged by late-season additions Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen. Wilson ended 2025 as a healthy scratch in four of the final five games. He’s been working hard this offseason to fine tune his route running and enters a pivotal third season with a prime opportunity.”
No doubt that Roman Wilson had a great opportunity last season. The only established, high-quality NFL wide receiver on the roster in Week 1 was DK Metcalf. Yes, they had WR Calvin Austin III, but he’s not on Metcalf’s level. Unfortunately, despite all his hard work in the offseason, Wilson could not transfer that to the football field.
Wilson is working hard this offseason again. He spent time training with the “Route God” in an effort to hone the technical side of being a wide receiver. He also joined QB Aaron Rodgers and a number of the Steelers’ other pass catchers for work and bonding time. No one can argue that he isn’t putting in the time in an effort to get better.
However, Wilson is facing even stiffer competition this year with Pittman and Bernard in the fold. Plus, both of those wide receivers were brought in under the new coaching staff, led by Mike McCarthy. Wilson is a holdover from the last staff who hasn’t produced in the NFL.
No wonder DeFabo thinks that Roman Wilson is the Steelers players with the most to prove this season. Beat writer Mark Kaboly said Wilson does everything right on the practice field. Now, Wilson needs to figure out how to translate that to game day. Otherwise, he could be on the outside looking in sooner rather than later when it comes to the Steelers’ roster.
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