Ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 14 game against the Baltimore Ravens, fans were shocked to learn that Roman Wilson was a healthy scratch. We knew that head coach Mike Tomlin wanted to get veteran wide receivers Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the field at some point, but we didn't know it would come at the expense of benching Wilson.
But worse than Wilson's benching itself is Tomlin's pitiful reasoning behind the decision. The Steelers' head coach spoke to the media on Tuesday as Pittsburgh prepares for their Week 15 Monday Night Football game against the Miami Dolphins.
That's when Tomlin was asked about Wilson. Coach Tomlin noted that veteran Scotty Miller got a helmet over Wilson because he is capable of serving as a backup punt returner.
Really? That's why Wilson was benched? In case the Steelers needed to turn to their backup punt returner?
Miller went on to record three offensive snaps against the Ravens in Week 14. He was not among the 11 players on the Steelers to be credited with a target in Baltimore. Meanwhile, Calvin Austin III fielded just two punts for 12 yards.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must give Roman Wilson another chance to prove his worth
Wilson, a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, had a terrific training camp this past summer. This was followed up with an excellent showing in the preseason. While opportunities were scarce for most of the season, the young receiver had his best game of the year against a tough Green Bay Packers defense on Sunday Night Football in Week 8, when he earned four receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown.
The problem isn't necessarily with Wilson; it's that Steelers wide receivers outside of DK Metcalf are rarely a primary read for Aaron Rodgers in Arthur Smith's offense. Thielen and Valdes-Scantling found this out quickly. After Wilson was kicked to the bench, Thielen and Valdes-Scantling combined for just one reception and four receiving yards on two targets.
Case in point, it's hard for any number two wide receiver to be productive in this scheme. When Metcalf isn't the primary read for Rodgers, Smith often dials up passing plays designed to go to running back Kenneth Gainwell or tight end Jonnu Smith.
And the results are far worse than throwing to Wilson. Gainwell recorded just 27 yards on seven targets in Week 14 (3.8 yards per target). Despite 58 targets on the season (a career high), Gainwell is managing just 4.9 yards per target—making this his least efficient season as a pass-catcher in his five-year NFL career.
Meanwhile, Steelers quarterbacks (Rodgers and Mason Rudolph) have a combined 114.4 passer rating when throwing to Wilson this season. Wilson is averaging 7.9 yards per target and an impressive 5.5 yards after the catch per reception.
Wilson's benching is a bad sign for the third-round pick's career trajectory. If Mike Tomlin was going to make the young Steelers receiver wear street clothes on game day, the least he could have done was come up with a better excuse to justify Wilson's unexpected demotion.