Steelers Rookie Roman Wilson Takes Step Toward Return

The Pittsburgh Steelers wideout took a nice step in his recovery.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson at training camp. / Alysa Rubin/Pittsburgh Steelers

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first nerve-wracking injury of the summer when rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson left training camp practice on a cart. After going down awkwardly on his ankle in a goal line drill, Wilson was evaluated for an ankle injury and was labeled "week-to-week" with a sprain.

Since then, he's been walking around with a boot on during practice. The team had no hard expectations on when to expect the wide receiver to return, and still stand firm that they hold no timeline, but Wilson took a step toward that eventual comeback.

According to multiple reports, Wilson is now walking around Saint Vincent College without a boot on, and instead is wearing a wrap on his ankle.

Roman Wilson still has a sleeve on his ankle, but he’s out of his boot. A good first step.

— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) August 4, 2024

Wilson was starting to emerge as a strong option within the Steelers passing game before his injury. After having a quiet Organized Team Activities and minicamp period, he came out firing at training camp.

Without Wilson, the Steelers are evaluating their other options. Quez Watkins, Scotty Miller and Dez Fitzpatrick have gained extra reps as they try to climb into the depth chart behind George Pickens, Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin. Wilson is assumed to be a lock for the 53-man roster as a third-round draft pick.

The Steelers appear to be on the outside looking in at any possible trades after being linked to names like Brandon Aiyuk, DK Metcalf and Tyreek Hill. While general manager Omar Khan did not rule out the possibility of something happening, he stood firm that there were no active conversations happening.

With the emergence of Wilson, the pressure for a trade seemed to die down. Now that he could be coming back in the near future - interpretting the loss of the boot is a step toward that - Pittsburgh may feel comfortable with the group that they have.

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