The Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver corps in 2024 was lackluster outside of George Pickens and Calvin Austin III. Part of that was due to the team’s inability to swing a big trade for San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk (or any suitable wide receiver to complement Pickens). And part of that was then-rookie WR Roman Wilson suffering an ankle injury at the start of training camp.
That ankle injury and later a hamstring injury robbed Wilson of all but five offensive snaps as a rookie. The injuries and subsequent ineffectiveness frustrated Wilson. But it’s not something he wants to dwell on. He’s focused on the opportunity ahead of him.
“I don’t wanna think too much about last year,” Wilson said Tuesday after the first day of voluntary OTAs per video from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sports’ YouTube channel. “But I definitely learned a lot and it definitely helped to shape who I am this upcoming season. Taking care of my body to an elite level. I’ve been more, just locked in. I feel like myself, and I’m ready to come out here and practice hard.”
That’s music to the ears of both the team and its fans. After all, the Steelers’ wide receiver room is still looking rough at this point of the offseason. It looked a lot better when the Steelers traded for WR DK Metcalf. But then the Steelers traded Pickens to the Cowboys. Insider Ray Fittipaldo argued that going from Pickens to Metcalf is an upgrade, but it isn’t enough. The Steelers still need better production from the rest of the group.
And Roman Wilson could be part of that. In 2023, while at the University of Michigan, Wilson caught 48 passes for 789 yards (16.4 yards per catch) and 12 touchdowns. It would be a stretch to think Wilson could do that in his first full year with the Steelers. But even half of that production would be welcome.
As the Steelers begin this phase of offseason workouts, it’s good to see Roman Wilson out there running routes. Only time will tell if he stays healthy and makes an impact. But it sounds like he feels good about 2025 being very different from a 2024 he would love to forget.
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