Roman Wilson Germie Bernard
Roman Wilson Germie Bernard
Roman Wilson has taken plenty of heat for being Will Howard’s target on both of his interceptions in Friday’s preseason game against the New York Jets. Speaking to someone within the organization, Mark Kaboly says that’s not the case.
“Literally somebody associated with the team and that offense pulls me aside and said, ‘Nah, you know what? That pretty much Will’s fault on both of them,” Kaboly said on his podcast with cohost Chris Mack.
Post-game, Mike McCarthy referenced “one mistake turns into two” without specifying what those mistakes were or who made them. It led many to believe Wilson was primarily to blame for poor route depth on both crossing routes.
Our film breakdown offered a layered share of the blame. On the first interception, the Jets ran a match coverage that Will Howard didn’t diagnose, which led veteran safety Andre Cisco to jump the route and intercept it. On the second, we noted Howard didn’t truly drive the ball and could’ve had better placement. Here’s what we wrote:
“Howard could have put this ball more to the upfield shoulder and led Wilson downfield. It also highlights some of Howard’s limitations when truly driving a pass in tight coverage. That ball just doesn’t have the zip an Aaron Rodgers or Drew Allar pass might have to fit it around the defender.”
Whoever Kaboly spoke with seems to agree. Or, at the least, fault doesn’t rest with Wilson.
“Poor Roman Wilson’s getting raked over the coals here. If you wanna cut him out over this, a route that was probably only 10 percent his fault,” Kaboly said.
One issue that was clearly on Wilson was his lack of effort after Howard’s first interception, a point offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio acknowledged to reporters the following day.
The exact breakdown of blame will probably never truly be known. Even if Wilson shouldn’t absorb as much criticism as he’s received, he’s still struggled to translate promising practices into solid stadium showings. He’s not creating plays post-catch as he should, unable to make a Jets’ defender miss on two receptions. One could’ve turned a good gain into a great one, maybe even a touchdown, with the other putting the Steelers in third-and-short instead of moving the sticks.
Wilson will have one final chance this summer to prove himself in Thursday’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Pittsburgh needs someone to step up as the team’s No. 3 receiver. If it won’t be Wilson, rookie Germie Bernard could get the chance instead.