He was a healthy scratch in five of the last six games of the season, including in the playoffs, and that has Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson wearing a label he doesn’t want as a third-round pick just two years ago: bust.

Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz remains in his corner though.

With a major need at wide receiver ahead of the 2026 season, Wilson seems to be forgotten about in that discussion, and rightfully so, since he couldn’t get a helmet late in the year. But with a new coaching staff and an offensive mind at head coach in Mike McCarthy, Kuntz sees a guy in Wilson who is doing what is necessary behind the scenes to develop into a productive player, even if that production hasn’t shown up on the field just yet.

“There’s guys that aren’t producing that are developing on the team that no one’s heard of. One comes to my mind right now, Roman Wilson. People think the production wasn’t there the first two years and he’s like a bust…they’re calling him a bust. They don’t know that he’s working his ass off,” Kuntz said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “I will — and I’ve continued to — back Roman because I see how he works, and I know it’s gonna pay off, and I believe in him.”

After injuries limited him to just five snaps as a rookie, Wilson showed up for his second season in Pittsburgh ready to go right from the jump. He put in a ton of work and was praised for how he looked in OTAs and minicamp. He had a strong training camp and preseason, too, earning praise from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

But in the regular season Wilson did not produce much. He finished the season with just 12 receptions for 166 yards and two touchdowns. He had a costly fumble late against the Indianapolis Colts, which nearly opened the door for a comeback, and he wasn’t on the same page with Rodgers at times.

Once veterans Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were brought into the mix, Wilson was phased out.

His work behind the scenes didn’t stop though. Former head coach Mike Tomlin praised Wilson late in the year for the hard work he was putting in despite not seeing the field. He even expected Wilson to have an opportunity to show growth in the Week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns. Then, Wilson played just nine offensive snaps. 

He went back to being a healthy scratch after that, and he’s seemingly been written off as an answer at receiver entering Year 3.

Kuntz has his back though.

“People think that ’cause the production wasn’t there, the development wasn’t there. They have no idea that he’s working on his routes. They’re working on his release, he’s working on his strength, he’s working on his hands. He’s working on everything every day developing,” Kuntz said.

That very well may be true. Nobody can question Wilson’s work ethic. He showed that last offseason, and he had the right mentality after becoming a healthy scratch this season.

At some point though, that work has to translate into an NFL game and Wilson needs to start producing a bit. If not, it will be very hard to shake that bust label he’s been slapped with at this point.