Roman Wilson is still only two years removed from being the leading receiver on a national championship team, but his NFL career has gotten off to a disastrous start. The 2024 third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers played just five snaps in a rookie season foiled by injury, first in training camp, then again when he finally attempted to return in Week 6.
Now in his second training camp with Pittsburgh, Wilson found himself named as a third-stringer on the team’s first depth chart of the preseason behind NFL journeymen Robert Woods and Scotty Miller. Even on a team in desperate need of pass-catching depth, Wilson has struggled to establish himself and guarantee a roster spot for 2025.
Roman Wilson could be on the roster bubble at Steelers training camp
His new quarterback, 21-year veteran and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, had some bluntly honest advice for his young wide receiver on Wednesday before practice.
“I just got to get Ro out of his head a little bit,” Rodgers told the assembled reporters. “He’s such a good kid, he cares so much about whether it’s my approval or if he’s doing it right, and he’s just got to trust himself because he’s so damn talented.”
At this point in his career, Rodgers is notorious for not trusting young wide receivers. When he arrived in New York after forcing his way out of Green Bay, Rodgers brought veterans Allen Lazard and eventually Davante Adams with him. The star quarterback even ended last season at odds with Garrett Wilson, who, despite only being in his third year in the NFL, had already produced three 1,000-yard seasons.
Rodgers, however, lavished praise on Wilson and fourth-year receiver Calvin Austin, two of Pittsburgh’s prime candidates to start opposite Pro Bowler DK Metcalf, whom the franchise acquired in an offseason trade with the Seattle Seahawks, coached by former Michigan assistant Mike Macdonald.
"I would say Roman, just like Cal(vin Austin), and really all our guys, they really care, and they came out West just to see their attention to detail and their willingness to learn,” Rodgers said of offseason training sessions with the young wideouts.
Again, bucking the reputation of the veteran QB, Wilson has seemingly had plenty of opportunities to build a rapport with Rodgers.
“Just spending time together, getting breakfast together, talking at night, meetings, talking at practice, just togetherness,” Wilson told reporters on Wednesday when asked about how he has been able to build chemistry with Rodgers.
Wilson has three preseason games to earn a roster spot and work his way out of head coach Mike Tomlin’s doghouse, where he has been a resident for nearly a full year now. However, he won’t get much time with Rodgers unless and until he breaks camp on the 53-man roster and sees action in the regular season.
More bad news for Wilson is that Pittsburgh’s preseason passing game will be further compromised by a hand injury suffered by former Ohio State QB Will Howard on Tuesday that will keep him out for multiple weeks.