Everyone wants to see young players from their favorite team make plays during summer practices, but more than anything else, they want to see their team make it through the training camp and the preseason without any major injuries. Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Steelers sustained a potentially serious injury to one of their top draft choices in 2024.
During Pittsburgh's first padded training camp practice, Roman Wilson was tackled awkwardly on a jet sweep. He quickly hobbled off to the sideline where he was examined by a trainer before leaving the practice field on a cart.
Head coach Mike Tomlin spoke to ESPN's Brooke Pryor and confirmed that Wilson suffered an ankle injury. The severity of the injury and the length of his absence will be determined based on their findings.
Roman Wilson has an ankle injury, Mike Tomlin says. He’s being evaluated to determine severity and length of time out.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) July 30, 2024
Leaving the Steelers' practice field on a cart isn't necessarily a sign of a serious injury. This could have been a precautionary measure, as it's a long trek back to the training room -- especially for a player who just injured his ankle. However, it's hard not to be concerned about this ailment.
Steelers fans have reason to be worried about Roman Wilson's injury
Wilson was the first of Pittsburgh's third-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Many viewed him as an early Day 2 prospect in a loaded wide receiver class thanks to his soft hands, speed, and natural ability at the position. He was the number one wide receiver on a championship program at Michigan before declaring for the draft early.
The biggest reason to fear is due to the utter lack of quality depth already on the Steelers' roster. Even after Wilson was drafted, general manager Omar Khan left the door open for the team to trade for a wide receiver.
Outside of George Pickens, there is no proven commodity at the position who is expected to contribute in a big way. Calvin Austin III -- who stands at just 5'7 3/4'' -- looks to be in line for a much bigger role this year, while the veterans they signed look unspectacular so far.
Wilson flashed his talent early at training camp before the pads came on, and it's reasonable to believe that he was going to have a big role on offense in 2024. Because of his talent and where he was drafted, it wasn't unreasonable to think that he could have earned the WR2 job at some point this season.
When Wilson went down with a foot injury. My mind immediately went to Calvin Austin's rookie season. Early at camp, Austin sustained a foot injury that effectively ended his rookie season before it started. This proved to be a major setback for his NFL career.
The good news is that Coach Tomlin described this as an ankle injury. Though ankle injuries can still be severe, it's likely a better scenario than if it had been a foot injury.
We will wait for confirmation on the injury and Pittsburgh will decide how to proceed from there. At least for now, somebody needs to step up at the wide receiver position at Steelers training camp. Let's hope for a speedy recovery for Wilson.