Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson (10) in game vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kylee Surike | Special to PennLiveKylee Surike
Former Super Bowl Champion head coach Jon Gruden believes the Pittsburgh Steelers do not have a wide receiver issue. Gruden, when previewing the Steelers as a team, hyped up wide receiver Roman Wilson, who he believes will be a real contributor to the team’s rotation.
“You’re going to see Calvin Austin, DK Metcalf, and I think you’re going to see a lot of Roman Wilson,” Gruden said. “He is a hell of a player.... Everybody right now is saying, ‘Hey, the Steelers don’t have any wideouts, man.’ Wait til’ you see Roman Wilson.”
The preseason showcased Wilson has a skillset that can pop, even against starters. 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.
Against the Buccaneers, 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’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.”
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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