PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the preseason and training camp wondering what the answer might be to the Roman Wilson question.
Wilson played just two drives against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but in that time, he beat starting cornerback Tyson Campbell on a crosser. He finished with two receptions for 26 yards, an impressive outing for him.
On Saturday, Wilson carried that momentum into his second preseason game. He dusted quarters coverage from Jamel Dean over the top on a post route, hauling in a 42 yard connection from Mason Rudolph. Later on, he would separate on a crosser easily, gaining a chunk gain of 30 yards on another reception.
Wilson finished with two receptions for 72 yards, with some extra character added in as a blocker. He ran with the first team out of 12 personnel for much of training camp. Now, the Steelers have given that chance, running as the top wide receiver in the preseason with DK Metcalf not playing and Calvin Austin III injured.
Wilson’s horizontal speed and explosiveness allow him to fit into offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s vision of play action passes and easy separation for him.
Wilson, now lighter than he was a year ago, is fully back to his usual speed. However, wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni also said he had been doing a nice job against press coverage, giving Wilson a ramp to play inside and outside.
“He’s crafty. He’s got some speed, and he’s starting to use his hands well. His releases are improving. He didn’t have to do that in Michigan,” Azzanni admitted. “He did a good job of moving around and punching him and motioning him to get him free. So he never really had to go against press coverage. Beating press is big for him. He’s starting to make strides there.”
Wilson is far from perfect. His releases still need improvement and the route running has come along, especially at the top of his routes, as he often runs sharp routes with detail to create separation.
The Steelers still could use a wide receiver with size to impose their physicality across their tight end heavy offense. However, Wilson has done a nice job proving he is a viable wide receiver answer in this offense, and can give the Steelers something they did not have last year.
Pittsburgh wanted to learn what they had in Wilson, and what they appear to have is an explosive player who can win across the field with his speed and outrun if he can get their hands off him at the line of scrimmage.
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