The Pittsburgh Steelers need all the receiver help that they can get. George Pickens has been a the beast he was expected to be, but there has been absolutely nothing behind him. Van Jefferson, the other starting wide receiver, has just five receptions for 36 yards on eight total targets. Roman Wilson was supposed to eventually become that starting-caliber wideout that they needed, but an ankle injury in training camp wiped that chance out. He has been practicing after healing up, but he was a healthy scratch in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts.
That may be the case again, as Ray Fittipaldo made an appearance on 93.7 The Fan and mentioned that Wilson won't be playing in Week 5.
"[Roman Wilson] is out there looking better, but it seems to me that [Arthur Smith] is really comfortable dressing four receivers and four tight ends. That may be a foreign concept to other coordinators, but with him, it's okay... I know there's going to be a time when Roman Wilson is ready. I just don't sense that that time is this week."
Pickens and Jefferson will start, and Calvin Austin III and Scotty Miller will serve as depth pieces like they have been throughout the season. Even though Wilson is no longer even on the injury report, it seems like the Steelers want at least one more week of practice before letting him play. Even though they desperately need production from guys besides Pickens, they want to make sure he is 100% ready to go mentally and physically.
Why Would Steelers' Hold Wilson Out?
Wilson's injury happened early on in training camp. He barely had any time to practice, and he also had no game experience due to missing all three preseason games. He missed a lot of valuable time in Latrobe and at UPMC, so the Steelers want to see some growth out of the rookie before giving him his chance. He may be healthy, but he has to get his body right still.
While Wilson most likely learned the playbook while sitting on the sidelines of practice, his body is not conditioned to the NFL yet. Even veterans need training camp to get acclimated to the game, as shown by guys like Brandon Aiyuk struggling out the gate. If a star receiver like him is having issues getting up to speed with very minimal work in training camp, how would Wilson be ready to go?
The Steelers also recently promoted Brandon Johnson to the Active/Inactive roster for their Week 5 game, so that seems to be another sign that Wilson is not ready to go. Johnson has been practicing with the team since the end of August. When a practice squad guy that's been around for a month gets a helmet before Wilson, it's obvious that they don't feel comfortable with letting him make his NFL debut.
The Steelers went with four receivers in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but an injury to Jefferson early in the game made it trickier on them. Cordarrelle Patterson acted as the fourth wideout for that game once Jefferson left. If it weren't for Patterson also being injured, he would likely be in that hybrid running back / wide receiver again. Instead, they had to promote Johnson and give him a helmet, even if he will primarily play special teams.
As Fittipaldo said, there will be a time that Wilson gets his chance. It could even be as soon as next week. It all depends on when the Steelers are comfortable with Wilson's work and how quickly he catches up after missing preseason and most of training camp. Arthur Smith uses a lot of multi-tight end sets anyways, so they won't be rushing him back too soon.
