Despite their 2-1 record, the Pittsburgh Steelers have no shortage of issues on both sides of the football. While their 28th-ranked total defense entering Week 4 is worse than we could have imagined, the offense ranks 30th and is being outpaced by their opponents by 139 yards per game. The biggest reason for this could be due to botching the development of young, talented draft picks.
One player that Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff have already committed malpractice with is Roman Wilson. The second-year receiver and 2024 third-round pick was highly regarded coming out of college and is coming off an excellent summer. Yet, the Steelers refuse to get him involved.
Wilson was the lead receiver for a national championship Michigan program. He led the country with the lowest drop rate (2.3 percent) before going on to be the most impressive receiver at the Senior Bowl. And after posting a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, Wilson found himself ranked as the 46th overall player on Marcus Mosher's NFL Draft Expert Consensus Board ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
But despite his reputation, the Steelers won't get him involved. And when they do, there aren't any plays designed to go to Wilson.
This isn't just hyperbole; it's reality. I recently had a chance to examine every Roman Wilson snap from Week 3 on the all-22 film. Wilson was on the field for just six receiving snaps. On these plays, he was never the top read, and he didn't run any routes designed to get him the football. The case is the same if you look at Wilson's film from Week 1 or Week 2.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must start getting Roman Wilson involved on offense
What's worse is that, instead of gradually earning more snaps as the season marches on, Wilson has earned fewer opportunities. The shifty wide-out's snap count dropped from 22 in Week 2 to just nine snaps against the New England Patriots in Week 3.
Pittsburgh's offense has hit rock bottom. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is coming off a game in which he was able to muster up just 139 passing yards on 6.0 yards per attempt for a 43.1 QBR. This was accompanied by a pathetic 34.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus—the worst on the team in Week 3.
Six players were targeted in this game, but 13 of Rodgers' 22 targets went to running backs and tight ends. Meanwhile, DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III combined for just 66 yards on 9 targets. Wilson has the skill set to get open and the hands to catch the ball in traffic, but he has had zero targets in two of his three games so far.
Sadly, this isn't the only young draft pick Mike Tomlin refuses to play. Kaleb Johnson, Pittsburgh's 2025 third-round pick, entered Coach Tomlin's dog house after an egregious special teams error in Week 2 and never played a snap against the Patriots in Week 3.
It's one thing to value veteran leaders; it's another entirely to refuse to play young, talented players and high draft investments because the veterans are more proven. Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff are committing roster malpractice with Roman Wilson's awful usage, and that needs to change immediately.