Could Steelers WR Roman Wilson Make His NFL Debut This Week?
PITTSBURGH — With the Pittsburgh Steelers dealing with a slew of injuries, rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson could make his NFL debut on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Wilson suffered a high ankle sprain early in training camp and missed the first two games. He was then a healthy scratch the last three games due to the time missed.
“You’re talking about a lot of time missed. He’s working very hard. I would imagine it will happen sooner than later, but it’s not that you got to reach this certain metric. A lot of it is getting back in game shape,” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said about Wilson’s path to playing. “He’s doing really well, he’s making progress every day. I’d imagine it probably happen sooner rather than later. But missing all of training camp, you (have to) get your legs back. It’s not like a guy played four games and missed a week or two. There’s a lot of football conditioning and certainly a young guy, mentally too. Very pleased with the progress he’s made.”
Mike Tomlin had the same message for Wilson a few weeks ago as Smith.
“He’s just gotta keep working. It is very difficult to get on a moving train,” Tomlin said on Sept. 24 following the Los Angeles Chargers game.
Tomlin added that veteran defensive lineman Dean Lowry was a healthy scratch twice after his lengthy camp absence, and said that’s multiplied when talking about a rookie.
“My advice to Roman is to keep working. Take that opportunity when that door is left ajar,” Tomlin said.
Wilson ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, a 4.07-second shuttle and 6.89-second three-cone drill at the 2024 NFL Combine, resulting in an 8.59 RAS out of 10.
Roman Wilson played both inside and outside at Michigan, spending 91% of his time in the slot as a junior in 2022 and 65.5% of his time in the slot last season, per Pro Football Focus.
The Steelers desperately need a boost at wide receiver, as the combination of Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III and Scotty Miller really hasn’t moved the needle. Austin has shined at moments, but it hasn’t been enough to take the pressure off George Pickens.
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.
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