Insider Explains Why Steelers Won't Play Roman Wilson

The Pittsburgh Steelers' rookie wide receiver has yet to make his NFL debut.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson (10) walks down the tunnel before a preseason game against Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, August 24, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to play rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson this season, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac offered some insight on why that's been the case.

Dulac, during his weekly Steelers chat, was asked why Wilson hasn't appeared on the field for the team this year after recovering from an ankle injury, to which he responded with a rather telling anecdote.

"It's called 'he's a rookie and not sure what he's doing,'" Dulac wrote.

Wilson, a third-round pick from the University of Michigan, sprained his ankle at the beginning of training camp and did not appear at all throughout the preseason, which hindered his development within the Steelers' system.

He began the season as a limited participant in practice and was expectedly ruled inactive for Pittsburgh's first two games of the season.

Wilson, however, registered as a full participant ahead of the team's Week 3 contest versus the Los Angeles Chargers for the first time all year, but he's been a healthy inactive ever since.

Head coach Mike Tomlin stated earlier this season that Wilson has to keep grinding and that it can prove tough to "get on a moving train", but with plenty of practice reps under his belt, it's worth wondering if there's something under the surface that's keeping him from playing.

Dulac declared that he will make his NFL debut in due time for the Steelers because they invested significant draft capital in him, though it may not come over a large sample size.

"Roman Wilson will get in there eventually because 1) Why not? and 2) He's a third-round pick who at some point they want to see in a game, even just for a couple plays," Dulac wrote.

Building off of that, Dulac made sure to let fans know that they should temper their expectations regarding what Wilson could bring to the table out of the gate.

"... I don't think you should be expecting Antonio Brown," Dulac wrote. "Be happy if he gets as many catches as his uniform number [No. 10]."

Pittsburgh's passing offense has gone through some rough patches, and the lack of depth at the receiver position is certainly a leading reason why. The hope is that Wilson could make his mark down the stretch and provide a spark, but the fact that he hasn't forced his way onto the field yet has raised some questions.

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