The Pittsburgh Steelers selected wide receiver Roman Wilson out of the University of Michigan with a third round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, taking Wilson 84th overall.
Since his selection, Wilson has played in just one NFL game, receiving zero targets and zero yards through five snaps in his one appearance, which came in a 32-13 Week 6 blowout win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Wilson injured his ankle during training camp heading into the season, sidelining him for all of the preseason and the beginning of the regular season. He would then play in his one game on October 13, before being put on injured reserve on October 28. He was eligbile to return for the final game of the regular season, but his October 13 snaps would prove to be his only ones.
Now, at the NFL League Meetings, head coach Mike Tomlin has clarified why Wilson did not see any other action.
“He was healthy, but healthy and football readiness were two different things to be quite honest with you. When you’re coming back from injury, you’re essentially getting on a moving train is the analogy that I like to use. We talk about a guy that had very little NFL experience. He was healthy at the end of the year. He was working extremely hard in practice, but a real avenue never presented itself due to the misfortune of others or what have you for him to contribute,” Tomlin said.
"We’re expecting really good things for him in his second year. I think that’s a reasonable expectation. I think from time to time guys get faced with injury and it derails their start, but by no means do we feel like it’s going to define his career. Calvin Austin is an example of that. Calvin missed a significant portion of his rookie year, similar to Roman. Over the last two years he’s gone on to move away from that and be a real positive contributor to our efforts. We expect similar things from Roman.”
Now, going into a season with a top-heavy wide receiver room, Wilson will get a shot to prove his worth on the roster.
