Steelers Fans Finally Get Legitimate Reasoning Regarding Roman Wilson's Playing Time

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a similar spot at wide receiver as they were during the 2024 season. Fans are continuing to question the depth at the position while also begging the organization to make a trade for a high-level player. A trade that would majorly improve the room is very unlikely, however players stepping up and making plays is something that could happen as well. Calvin Austin III has made countless plays in his time with Pittsburgh, but now that he is hurt and could potentially miss Pittsburgh's Week 6 matchup with the Cleveland Browns, it might be someone else's turn.

Austin has been the second wide receiver for Pittsburgh throughout the start to the 2025 season. That was expected coming into the year after the organization parted ways with George Pickens and brought in DK Metcalf via trade just prior. Unfortunately, Austin suffered a shoulder injury during Pittsburgh's Week 4 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland. This could lead to more opportunities for second-year wide receiver Roman Wilson. Wilson hasn't seen the field much, which is something Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about during his press conference on Tuesday.

"Or it might just be our selection of personnel groups," Tomlin said. "We've been talking a lot about multiple tight ends, Spencer Anderson reporting as eligible, the utilization of multiple tight end groups. So, his lack of participation might not mean anything relative to his performance, or what's going on at his position. It might just be how we choose to deploy our personnel groups through the first month of the season, so it's still very early in this process. We got 13 straight games ahead of us, so keep watching."

Wilson has played in all four games this season, but his snap counts have been inconsistent. On the year he has played just under 20 percent of the total snaps for the Steelers' offense, and he recorded just one catch for seven yards on two targets. He played 32 offensive snaps throughout the first two games of the year, but in the last two, he has played just 12 snaps.

Tomlin stated that Pittsburgh has been utilizing heavier personnel groups, which typically limits the opportunities for the second and third wide receivers on the depth chart. It is simple math. A team can only have 11 guys on the field at once. Five offensive lineman, a quarterback, and a running back takes up seven spots, which only leaves four additional players on the field. Pittsburgh has been playing with a lot of two or three tight end sets, and even bringing in Spencer Anderson as an extra offensive lineman. This limits opportunities for players like Wilson.

The head coach also stated that Wilson not being on the field was due to personnel decisions and that it had nothing to do with the second-year player's play. This is good to hear, and hopefully the young receiver can continue to improve and perform well enough during practice that the coaching staff has no choice but to make sure he sees the field.

Steelers' Calvin Austin III Could Be Back Sooner Than Expected

No one wanted to see Austin go down with an injury, but if there is a silver lining, it is that Wilson might be able to see the field a bit more. It was originally thought that Austin would be out for multiple weeks, but Tomlin mentioned during his press conference that the wide receiver playing in Week 6 is not out of the question. 

It will depend on how his week of practice is, but there is a chance Austin can return from injury without missing a game. If he can't go, fans should expect to see more of Wilson.

What do you think of Tomlin's reasoning for Wilson not seeing the field much? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation