Roman Wilson
Roman Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Roman Wilson didn’t play in the team’s preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills, but it doesn’t sound like Wilson has to worry about making the Steelers’ 53-man roster. Head coach Mike McCarthy explained in his postgame press conference why Wilson didn’t suit up against Buffalo.
“Practice, the Monday and Tuesday those were really two, probably of our best practices of training camp, so I felt really good about the amount of work and the competitiveness of the work that we were able to accomplish, so that played into who played and who didn’t play tonight,” McCarthy said via the team’s YouTube channel.
Wilson had a strong training camp, but it didn’t carry over to the preseason. He was Will Howard’s intended target on two interceptions in the team’s second preseason game against the Jets, and had just three receptions for 23 yards in the two preseason games he played.
Because he didn’t play on Thursday, there were questions about whether Wilson was injured or his roster spot was in jeopardy. McCarthy’s answer, though he did not explicitly say it, seemed to suggest the opposite was true and that Wilson had earned a spot. The Steelers sat plenty of veterans, with some not even traveling with the team. Wilson traveled but did not play, and it sounds as if he had nothing else to show the coaching staff.
Before the second preseason game, Wilson was penciled in as the Steelers’ WR3 and starting slot receiver. That looks to remain the case, and it’ll be interesting to see the division of labor between him and Germie Bernard early in the season. Bernard caught a touchdown reception on Thursday and put together a solid preseason performance.
After playing just five snaps as a rookie, Wilson underwhelmed last season and was a gameday inactive for four of the Steelers’ last five games. This season will be an opportunity to prove he belongs in the NFL, and it sounds as if he’ll have the chance to do so early.
While cutdown day on Sunday will bring plenty of tough decisions, it doesn’t seem as if Wilson’s fate will be one of them, as he’ll look to put together a breakout season in his first year under HC Mike McCarthy.
Steelers
Steelers