Lack of Utilization for Roman Wilson In Steelers’ Offense Remains Baffling
p/c: Phelan M. Ebenhack
When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have been no strangers to identifying wide receivers, in later rounds of the draft. The two most notable were Hines Ward and Antonio Brown. Ward was a third round selection in 1998, while Brown wasn’t taken until the sixth round in 2010.
During the 2024 draft, the Steelers selected wideout Roman Wilson in Round 3. For most, it was regarded as a solid, mid-round pick, given Wilson’s production at Michigan, and playing a key role on their National Championship team in 2023.
The beginning of Wilson’s NFL career got off to an inauspicious start last year, as an ankle injury sidelined him during training camp and the preseason.
Wilson made his Steelers debut in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders; albeit with five offensive snaps.
Looking to get his feet wet, Wilson suffered a season-ending, hamstring injury on October 28th.
The 24-year-old Wilson entered camp this year fully healthy, and had a good preseason showing.
While much has been made of Pittsburgh’s inconsistent, offensive line, which certainly deserves criticism, the use of Wilson early on in the season is mind-boggling, to say the least.
Wilson has one reception for seven yards through the first three games. He’s been targeted just two times, while getting offensive snaps at a meager 24%.
Once the Steelers traded George Pickens in the offseason to the Dallas Cowboys, many assumed they would go out and find a viable replacement for him. But much like the offseason prior, in which they had no contingency plan, after moving Diontae Johnson, GM Omar Khan once again sat on his hands.
When Pittsburgh acquired Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins, as part of the Minkah Fitzpatrick deal, it was thought of that he could an impact tight end, who could essentially be their WR2.
It’s unclear, and quite frankly bewildering, as to why the Steelers aren’t utilizing Wilson much on offense. The only explanation would be Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith wanting to get Wilson slowly acclimated to the offense, following his injuries last season, but even then, he’s back to 100% healthy, and shouldn’t be under much restrictions, if at all.
For a Steelers offense that needs any type of spark, the decision to really limit Wilson, in the offensive game plan, is one of the most confounding things with this team currently.