When the Pittsburgh Steelers released their first depth chart earlier this week, Roman Wilson was listed a third-team wide receiver. He didn’t play like one on Saturday.
Wilson wasn’t on the field for long, only the first handful of plays with the starters who were on the field. However, he did have a couple nice catches in the Steelers’ 31-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Chris Hoke thinks Wilson proved himself to the coaching staff in a big way.
“He wasn’t where he wanted to be on the depth chart when it first came out, and he came out today and established himself as a guy who can play when the lights turn on,” Hoke said on KDKA’s Nightly Sports Call.
Roman Wilson’s start to camp was a little slow. He and the rest of the offense struggled to form chemistry. The defense got the better of them throughout the first week of training camp. However, things started to click this past week. Wilson specifically had a few great practices in a row, and he built on that momentum Saturday during his short stint on the field.
Practice is one thing but doing it in a stadium is a different story. That’s why Hoke was so impressed with Wilson’s performance in Jacksonville.
“It doesn’t matter what you do on the practice field,” the former Steelers nose tackle said. “It’s important, but what really matters to these coaches is when the light turns on, when you have an opponent in front of you, when there’s a little bit of intensity and pressure, can you perform? And Roman Wilson did.”
Wilson caught his first pass on the Steelers’ first play of the game, a 19-yard strike down the middle of the field from Mason Rudolph. Wilson ran a good route and made a solid contested catch with a defender on his back. His second and final catch came two plays later, a short five-yard reception. He finished the game with two receptions for 24 yards.
It’s not a crazy stat line, but Wilson was only on the field in the first quarter. And most importantly, he showed chemistry with his quarterback, even though it wasn’t Rodgers, and seemed to have a good feel for the game. Getting that type of experience this preseason is important for him. Especially after injuries caused him to miss nearly his entire rookie season. There’s a long way to go, but Saturday’s game was a good start for Roman Wilson.
Recommended for you