Since the Pittsburgh Steelers traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, every non-D.K. Metcalf receiver on the roster has been under attack. Fans and analysts have both frequently expressed concern about the wide receiver room, and expressed that the team needs to add another established veteran to the roster before the season gets here. If that doesn’t happen, the team will really need the receivers on the roster to take their game to another level.
One Steelers wideout that could be on the verge of doing that this season is Roman Wilson. After an underwhelming rookie season, Wilson was recently named by Alex Ballentine in a Bleacher Report piece as Pittsburgh’s top breakout candidate for the summer. Ballentine pointed to a quote from Steelers general manager Omar Khan to explain why Wilson is the most obvious candidate for the Steelers.
""We wouldn’t have done this if we didn’t feel good about the receiver situation, about our depth here," Steelers general manager Omar Khan told reporters after trading away George Pickens.Alex Ballentine (Bleacher Report)
Translation: The Steelers feel like a breakout is coming from at least one of their young receivers.
The most obvious candidate is Roman Wilson. The Michigan product suffered multiple injuries that kept him off the field for much of his rookie campaign. With a cleaner bill of health this season, he could make a much bigger impact this year."
Roman Wilson named as breakout candidate for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Wilson appeared in just one game in 2024 after being drafted in the third round, but he didn’t record a single stat in his five snaps. The rest of his rookie season was spent dealing with an ankle injury and a hamstring injury, both keeping him out of training camp and nearly all of the regular season.
However, his productive four-year career at Michigan is why he was selected in the third round, and why the team is confident he’ll develop into a quality player. In 46 games, Wilson caught 107 passes for 1,707 yards and 20 touchdowns, helping the Wolverines win a National Championship in his final season. Now, in year two in the NFL, he’ll try to help the Steelers return to being a serious contender.