While Roman Wilson played a lot last Sunday, he only saw one target from Aaron Rodgers, and it didn’t go as planned. On 3rd and goal from the 7, he ran an out route to the sideline. The ball was high, and he couldn’t reel it in, short of the goal line. Camera crews caught Rodgers reacting angrily after the play, in Wilson’s direction.
Reporters asked Rodgers on Wednesday about his interaction with Wilson following the play. “We talked about that route and I was hoping he’d be a little bit more deliberate”, he said, via the Steelers’ website. “But, listen. Ro’, and [Calvin Austin III], those guys are such great dudes. They want to do right by me and Arthur [Smith] and the offense, and I’ve got nothing but love and appreciation for those guys”.
Rodgers has been full of praise for Wilson since he arrived, albeit not without criticism. Early on, he said that Wilson was essentially too in his head. But he sees the growth that the young wide receiver has made, and he has been a part of it.
“Yeah, [Roman Wilson]’s a great kid”, Rodgers insisted about the second-year wide receiver. “He’s been playing really well the last few weeks, and I’m proud of him. He’s been practicing the right way. He’s been growing and working on his craft. He’s so damn fast”.
A third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Roman Wilson played just five snaps as a rookie last season. An injury early in training camp put the wheels in motion for a tremendously disappointing year. Although he didn’t hit the ground running in Year 2, he has made strides.
On the season, Wilson has 12 catches on 17 targets for 166 yards. He has also caught two touchdown passes, though both came late in losing efforts in “garbage time”. He is showing nuance in his route running and YAC ability as well.
At times, however, he might not be on the same page as his quarterback. The play above is evidently one of those moments, with Rodgers taking umbrage with how Wilson ran his route. He didn’t get very specific about what he wanted Wilson to do instead, but that’s clearly not where he wanted to put the ball.
That was Rodgers’ last snap of the game, having suffered the wrist injury on the previous play. Mason Rudolph finished the rest of the game and completed one pass to Roman Wilson for 17 yards. But his snaps, targets, and productivity have fluctuated every week. What will this week hold? It might help to know who is going to play quarterback first.