The Pittsburgh Steelers entered their week six matchup with the Browns short-handed at receiver. Calvin Austin was held out due to his injury, leaving the team with just four healthy receivers on their active roster (they did activate Ke’Shawn Williams, although he was limited mostly to special teams work).
This seemed like a big opportunity for Roman Wilson to take a step forward. The forgotten man in Pittsburgh’s receiver room, Wilson had his shot to prove that he can be a legitimate complement to this group.
Instead, he still was looked past as an offensive contributor.
Wilson totaled just 15 of the offensive snaps on Sunday, and while he did catch his second career pass, his overall game was unspectacular. With the team now supposedly hunting for receiver help at the deadline, it seems like Wilson may be a lost cause.
The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be done with Roman Wilson
Through six weeks, the former third-round pick hasn’t been able to find his footing in a relatively shallow receiver room. Sure, DK Metcalf is the top dog and was always going to command the majority of targets, while Calvin Austin was going to continue to grow as a below-average second option with big play potential.
The hope was that Wilson would slot in as the third option. While that wouldn’t yield a huge role in an Arthur Smith offense, it would have at least allowed him to prove himself to the team.
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Instead, he has barely been noticed. It feels like Ben Skowronek is the favored third option due to his blocking ability. Now Scotty Miller is the preferred second receiver without Austin around. Add in the tight end room, and Wilson is a complete afterthought.
There was legitimate hope that Wilson was going to show some of his collegiate magic this season, but it hasn’t been the case. Now he feels like the low man on the totem pole. If a receiver is added before the trade deadline, he could quickly become inactive due to his lack of special teams value.
All in all, it has been a disappointing start to his sophomore season, and it seems like the Steelers are content looking elsewhere for receiver help. At this point, he feels like a guy who will be grasping for a roster spot next summer, and an early draft bust from the Omar Khan era.
It hasn’t been the second season Roman Wilson wanted, and it seems like his rope with the team has gotten awfully short.