After a rookie season that went belly-up thanks to multiple injuries, Roman Wilson is looking to hit the ground running this spring. Literally. Fully healthy after ankle and hamstring injuries in 2024, Wilson appeared to be a full-go during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first OTA practice Tuesday.
KDKA reporter [Cassidy Wood shared this brief clip](https://twitter.com/CassidyWoodTV/status/1927395703451488306) of Wilson running routes during an “on air” period early in the session, finishing with a catch over the middle. It appears he caught the pass from backup quarterback Skylar Thompson.
It’s just one snippet and there’s obviously no meaningful evaluation to make here beyond one important note. Wilson is healthy and soaking up reps he often missed a season ago. Considering he practiced with the team late last season, Wilson’s availability isn’t a shock. But it’s an important box to check for the beginning of spring workouts.
After impressing during the team’s four padless training camp practices last summer, Wilson rolled his ankle during the Steelers’ first padded practice. During the team’s 7-shots period of team drills, CB Anthony Averett tackled Wilson on a jet sweep short of the goal line. Wilson sat out the rest of the summer while recovering, missing the rest of training camp and the entire preseason.
Working his way back to health and the Steelers’ lineup, Roman Wilson dressed for the first time during the team’s Week Six game against the Las Vegas Raiders. But he logged just five offensive snaps and was not targeted. Shortly after, Wilson pulled his hamstring during practice and landed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
Pittsburgh opened his window-to-return on December 31st, allowing him to practice, but he wasn’t activated from IR and never made it back to the Active/Inactive roster.
Following George Pickens’ trade, Wilson’s chance for an impact second year has only increased. Pittsburgh is counting on an internal name filling Pickens’ role as starter. Calvin Austin III is coming off his best season and could have an early leg up, [but the Steelers haven’t given up](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/05/steelers-really-like-wr-roman-wilson-insider-says/) on Wilson after spending a third-round pick on him a year ago.
Wilson will need to play well and show the traits that got him drafted. His speed, his route-running, and his high-effort nature. But none of that matters if he’s spending more time with the trainers than his coaches. Wilson is healthy right now. His status needs to stay that way the rest of the offseason.