Preseason NFL depth charts largely amount to nothing. But one aspect of the first Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart for the 2025 season with wide receiver Roman Wilson stood out.
The former third-round pick isn’t among the team’s top four receivers. That could be considered alarming considering the Steelers don’t exactly have a deep receiver room.
“Calvin Austin III is listed as the other starting receiver opposite DK Metcalf,” Steelers Depot’s Ross McCorkle wrote. “Roman Wilson isn’t one of the primary backups with Robert Woods and Scott Miller listed ahead of him.
“Roman Wilson is currently on the tier with Ben Skowronek on the third-team offense.”
The Steelers drafted Wilson at No. 84 overall in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. But despite a draft pedigree and youth edge over Robert Woods and Scotty Miller, Wilson is behind both on the Steelers first depth chart.
Wilson appears to have work to do to earn a chance to make an impact in Week 1.
Roman Wilson Experienced Disappointing Rookie Season for Steelers
There was a lot of excitement surrounding Wilson after the Steelers selected him in 2024. He suffered an ankle injury very early in training camp, though, which set him back for all of last season.
Due to the injury, Wilson missed the entire preseason and the first month of the regular season. He made his NFL debut versus the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. Wilson played just five offensive snaps and then landed on injured reserve at the end of October.
Week 6 was the only game Wilson played in last season.
Entering 2025, Steelers fans still have high hopes for Wilson. But the team isn’t going to hand Wilson a role without merit, and Miller has outperformed Wilson during training camp.
The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo argued on Monday that Miller could be a strong fit with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“When Rodgers has struggled and needed to find a completion, Miller has often been the player stepping up,” DeFabo wrote. “Stylistically, Miller’s crisp route running and shifty playing style would marry well with Rodgers, who wants to play with timing and anticipation.”
Miller and Woods certainly have more experience than Wilson. Miller won the Super Bowl while playing with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Woods has 683 catches for 8,233 receiving yards and 38 touchdowns in 12 NFL seasons.
Wilson Set to Make Preseason Debut versus Jaguars
It’s important to note again that Wilson has yet to appear in an NFL preseason game. While the narrative around the league is largely that the preseason doesn’t matter much, it does for rookies and young players in need of repetitions.
Wilson fits that category.
Week 1 of the preseason could be particularly important for Wilson. The first exhibition game is often one where backups play a lot. After the release of the first depth chart, Wilson is clearly a backup.
Gaining live game repetitions at the NFL level could be very important for Wilson’s development. He also will have the opportunity to stand out against other perceived backups from the Jacksonville Jaguars defense.
The Steelers will visit the Jaguars in Week 1 of the preseason on Saturday, August 9. Kickoff will occur at 7 pm ET.
