The Pittsburgh Steelers arrived in Latrobe on Tuesday as the team reported to training camp ahead of the 2026 regular season. This is an exciting time of the year as fans are going to begin to see this team take shape. The roster is in an interesting spot as there are a ton of older veterans on the team accompanied by a lot of younger guys trying to make an impact. One of those younger guys is wide receiver Roman Wilson. His NFL career has been rocky ever since being drafted in the third round back in 2024, but maybe 2026 is the year he finally breaks out and proves himself to be an impactful player.
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Steelers' Roman Wilson runs a route during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in 2026.
Wilson missed nearly his entire rookie season in 2024 due to a few different injuries, and the organization eventually decided to treat the season as if it were a redshirt year for the wide receiver. He saw some actual time on the field in 2025, but he was eventually benched in the second half of the season. He became a consistent healthy scratch, despite the fact that he was one of the most consistent players on the team when it came to getting open and gaining separation.
The wideout has been a talking point throughout the offseason as there has been a ton of speculation behind his mysterious benching in 2025. DK Metcalf spoke to the media upon his arrival in Latrobe, and he talked about Wilson and what he was like in 2025.
"He's attacking every route," Metcalf said. "There's no second-guessing himself this year. Second-guessing himself is something he did quite a bit last year."
Many fans assumed that the reason that Wilson was seemingly benched later on in the year was because of something that had to do with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is known for being very demanding of his wide receivers, and he is detail-oriented. Once Wilson became a healthy scratch every week, it was easy to deduce that it had something to do with his chemistry with the quarterback, but Metcalf believes he was just second-guessing himself.
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Steelers' Roman Wilson throws a ball on the field before a home game in 2025.
It makes sense why Wilson may have been second-guessing himself. It is slightly intimidating and there is a ton of pressure catching balls from a player like Rodgers. He is known to chew out his wide receivers if he needs to, and that might lead to a younger player losing confidence and second-guessing some decisions. Hopefully that relationship between the quarterback and the wide receiver is in a better place now, because the Steelers need as many weapons on offense as possible. Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. are also calm veteran presences in the wide receiver room that could help Wilson with some of these mental obstacles.
Steelers' Roman Wilson Will Face Tense Battle In Training Camp
A big reason that training camp is so interesting throughout the league is because of the position battles that take place. The Steelers are going to have no shortage of those in 2026. There are a couple of battles happening on the right side of the offensive line, while positioning in the back of the cornerback room is also up for grabs. However, the third wide receiver spot is potentially the most exciting battle the team has. It is going to come down to Wilson and rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard.
Bernard is an exciting player that the organization traded up for in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He has no shortage of confidence, which might help him in a camp battle with Wilson. Bernard is not going to be second-guessing himself, and this is going to be an interesting storyline to follow. The third spot in the receiver room is important, but whoever loses the battle will probably still be contributing in some way as the fourth option at wide receiver.
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