Pittsburgh Steelers WR Roman Wilson barely played as a rookie due to injuries, but much was expected of him entering his second season in 2025. Wilson failed to produce much in a wide receiver room lacking talent, catching 12 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns. With the Steelers expected to add to their receiving corps via the draft and also free agency, there’s some thought that Wilson could be the odd man out.

However, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette doesn’t think the Steelers are quite ready to give up on the former third-round pick and blamed former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith for his lack of usage.

“He has a lot of natural ability that I think will still make him a quality receiver. For some reason, there was something Arthur Smith didn’t like about him,” Dulac wrote in his reader chat.

A Mike McCarthy-led offense will feature numerous receivers, and Wilson could still find himself in the mix even if the Steelers add to the position through the draft. A third-year Wilson should ideally be more NFL-ready than a mid-round draft pick at receiver, and his role will likely be determined by how early the Steelers draft a receiver (or two) and what they add to the position in free agency.

It’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility that a new coaching staff can unlock Wilson and help him perform like the receiver the Steelers thought they were getting when they selected him in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. It certainly hasn’t been an ideal start to his career, and he went through a stretch where he was a healthy scratch last season. Even with DK Metcalf suspended to end the year, Wilson played just nine snaps in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns, and only two of those were on pass plays. He was again a healthy scratch in Week 18.

It was clear he fell out of favor with the coaching staff last season, and while there’s been some speculation that he and Aaron Rodgers didn’t see eye-to-eye, Dulac seems to think it was more Arthur Smith’s doing for why Wilson didn’t have opportunities.

It’s clear this will be a make-or-break year for him in Pittsburgh. With a new staff and potentially more opportunities, maybe Wilson can find a way to produce and stick around.