As the Steelers open OTAs, second-year WR Roman Wilson will be one of the primary players to look out for. A 2024 third-round pick, he effectively missed his rookie season chiefly due to injury. With job openings behind WR1, he can play a big role in the offense this year.
Consistently, the Steelers have claimed to have a high opinion of Roman Wilson during this offseason circuit. And it shouldn’t need saying that a rookie failing to contribute frequently means little about the rest of his career. But the NFL is, as always, a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league. And he kind of hasn’t done anything yet, so the next thing he does is a big deal. At least one beat writer expects to see him doing plenty, though.
“I would like to see how the Roman Wilsons and Calvin Austins are, if you see a noticeable step forward”, Mark Kaboly said on the Kaboly + Mack podcast this past week about his top storylines as the Steelers begin OTAs this week. “I think Roman Wilson is gonna look fabulous.”
You might hear that coming out the first two weeks. ‘Oh, Roman Wilson looks like a different guy’. Now, he actually looked like that last year, but he just wasn’t able to actually get on the field”, he added. “I think Roman Wilson will look fabulous out there”.
Kaboly is not the first or only reporter to suggest as much about Roman Wilson. Earlier this month, Jeremy Fowler said that he “looks like a different player” going into his second season. Of course, he hasn’t done anything formally with the team this year, since OTAs are just beginning.
After the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf this offseason, they traded away George Pickens. That swapped one WR1 for another, leaving the rest of the room virtually the same. They also swapped out from last season Van Jefferson for Robert Woods. That leaves Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson to fill out the rest.
At least, that is the case for the time being. And perhaps they mean to wait and see what they have in Wilson and Austin first. That doesn’t mean they can’t, or won’t, or don’t already plan to, pivot and add to the room. The Steelers spent pretty much the entire offseason last year trying to trade for a starting receiver. They very nearly landed Brandon Aiyuk until the last minute, eventually added Mike Williams.
Others are less convinced that the Steelers believe they need to add a wide receiver. If they are really that high on Roman Wilson (and Calvin Austin), then they have a trio they believe in. Add in Woods, Ben Skowronek, and perhaps Scotty Miller, and that’s your wide receiver room. With DK Metcalf on top, of course.
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