Will Roman Wilson spend the rest of the Steelers’ season on the bench?
The Steelers sat Roman Wilson down on Sunday, and Mike Tomlin’s explanation for why probably didn’t win many people over. While Wilson hasn’t exactly had a major impact, many wanted to see how they could grow his game. He showed flashes here and there, and managed to get open, but saw few targets.
After the Steelers acquired Adam Thielen, and facing a crisis point in the season, however, they looked to make changes. That meant Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, two veterans, playing over Roman Wilson Sunday against the Ravens. But Scotty Miller also played over him, albeit for three snaps. Tomlin explained that Miller was their backup punt returner, Ke’Shawn Williams also being inactive.
But is Scotty Miller being the backup punt returner worth sitting Roman Wilson, and what does that mean for the rest of the season? While Thielen will continue to play, are we sure Valdes-Scantling will have a meaningful role? He did play 16 snaps, as many as any Steelers receiver other than Thielen and DK Metcalf.
A 2024 third-round pick, Roman Wilson has logged 244 snaps this season. He has 12 catches on 21 targets, going for 166 yards with 2 touchdowns. In his last two games before sitting out Sunday, he saw four targets with no catches. But he hasn’t dropped a pass, and some of those were just bad balls.
Mike Tomlin wanted veteran wide receivers for Sunday’s game, but what about the next game, and the next? The Steelers wouldn’t have claimed Adam Thielen off waivers if they didn’t intend to play him. But why all of a sudden are we stressing over the backup punt returner? And why can’t Roman Wilson be the backup punt returner?
Then again, if DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Adam Thielen, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling are going to be hogging the snaps at wide receiver, there won’t be a whole lot of reason for Roman Wilson to dress in the first place. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a good thing. But if that’s the vision the Steelers have for the remainder of the year, he doesn’t exactly fit in it. We’ll see what comes next.
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The 2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.