The Pittsburgh Steelers have needed help at wide receiver throughout the 2024 season, and on Sunday, they'll allegedly finally have rookie Roman Wilson active. Wilson suffered a sprained ankle at the beginning of training camp which kept him off of the field throughout the entire preseason and the first five weeks of the regular season. Wilson's debut will come on the road as Pittsburgh travels to play the Las Vegas Raiders in a game where both teams are hungry for a win.
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Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson lines up and prepares to run a drill as the team practices during 2024 Organized Team Activities at the UPMC Sports Complex in Pittsburgh, PA.
Pittsburgh has lost its last two games in ugly fashion, and a big part of that is the lack of talent at receiver. Issues and frustrations continue to happen with George Pickens, and Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson have been inconsistent with their performances.
ESPN's Brooke Pryor reported on Saturday that Wilson will in fact suit up for Sunday's game in Las Vegas. There was suspicion prior to this, considering Pittsburgh didn't elevate any extra wideouts like has been the case in previous weeks.
Roman Wilson has been ready to go for a couple weeks, now he’ll finally make his debut https://t.co/EH4FtTUi0y
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 12, 2024
The fan base has been eager for Wilson to get on the field. The third-round draft pick out of the University of Michigan is a big-time play-maker, and Justin Fields needs more help on offense. Pittsburgh's offense has only scored more than 21 points or more once this season, and that came as in first loss of the season, no thanks to the defense.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Rookie WR Roman Wilson during his first minicamp in 2024.
Fields and the offense are desperate for some explosion in Week 6. Running back Najee Harris was their leading receiver in Week 5, which is completely unacceptable. Although Wilson probably won't get a ton of snaps, anything will be encouraging. Whether he lines up in the slot or on the outside, Fields will have another play-maker to get the ball to. Wilson was Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2023 for Michigan, catching for nearly 800 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Steelers' Roman Wilson Could Quickly Become WR2 Behind George Pickens
Depending on how much playing time Wilson gets, he could certainly be in a position to become the number two behind Pickens. Jefferson hasn't been making enough splash plays, and Fields has been giving him chances. Austin only had one great game in the home opener in Week 3, but aside from that, hasn't been producing much either. It's going to come down to how much separation Wilson can create coming off of his sprained ankle.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers' Wide Receivers for 2024 during team picture day with Coach Zach Azzanni.
Even if Wilson doesn't play a ton in Las Vegas, he's moving in the right direction. The Steelers have been in trade talks for Davante Adams, but if Wilson turns into a true number two, those talks could potentially slow down. Although, a room with Pickens, Adams, and Wilson would certainly look a whole lot better.
What kind of impact will Wilson have on Sunday? Will the rookie score a touchdown in his NFL debut? Let us know your thoughts.
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