Steelers Insider Has A Bold Answer For Growing Roman Wilson Roster Panic

The Pittsburgh Steelers have watched Roman Wilson slide from possible breakout candidate to a player some outside observers are suddenly placing near the roster bubble. His uneven preseason has not helped, rookie competition has become considerably louder, and every August mistake now arrives with a 53-man projection attached to it. Mark Kaboly, however, thinks the conversation has skipped a few exits.

Wilson's summer has become an unusual mix of encouragement and frustration. Pittsburgh's initial depth chart listed him with the starting receivers, rewarding a strong training camp in which the third-year wideout looked quicker, more confident and increasingly comfortable moving around the formation. The preseason has been far less convincing, allowing the doubts accumulated during his first two NFL seasons to creep right back into the discussion.

That history makes every rough rep feel heavier than it probably would for another young pass-catcher. Wilson entered 2026 with only 12 career receptions for 166 yards and two touchdowns, all produced during a 2025 campaign in which he made four starts. His rookie year had already been mostly lost to injury. Pittsburgh has spent two seasons waiting for potential to become production, and patience around former third-round picks tends to become less sentimental around Year 3.

Some current roster projections have consequently identified Wilson as a player worth watching before final cuts. His competition with Germie Bernard has also changed considerably since the beginning of camp, with the second-round rookie steadily strengthening his case for significant offensive work.

Kaboly still sees an enormous difference between losing offensive ground and losing employment.

During a recent discussion, Kaboly was asked directly whether Wilson should actually be considered a roster-bubble player. He did not require much runway for his answer.

“Could Roman Wilson—is he a guy on the bubble? No,” Kaboly said.

Five words can save everyone quite a bit of August paperwork. 

Kaboly's stance becomes easier to understand when Pittsburgh's actions are separated from the noise surrounding Wilson's preseason performance. The organization has continued giving him substantial work rather than reducing his involvement. Offensive Coordinator Brian Angelichio said this week that Wilson is “continuing to grow and get better,” specifically praising his ability to line up inside, outside and in the slot. The coaching staff wants that flexibility across the receiver room because it allows the offense to change formations without changing personnel.

Pittsburgh has even expanded Wilson's responsibilities beyond offense. His recent punt-return work gives him another potential game-day function at a point when roster-bubble players usually need extra jobs, not fewer. That does not guarantee anything, but it would be an odd way to spend the final week of August on someone the coaching staff had already decided was disposable.

Wilson's real problem may be that his role has become less secure without his roster spot becoming equally endangered. Bernard can overtake him for WR3 without sending Wilson to unemployment. Those are two very different developments, even if August depth-chart conversations sometimes toss them into the same blender.

The Steelers also built enough depth this offseason that Wilson no longer needs to become a featured receiver for the offense to function. That lowers his target ceiling, but it can also give Pittsburgh more freedom to use him selectively. A fourth wideout capable of handling several alignments, stretching coverage and providing emergency return value still has a legitimate Sunday role.

His versatility is particularly useful because injuries have already created extra opportunities throughout camp. Official team coverage noted that Wilson took advantage of absences ahead of him and handled several receiver assignments without Pittsburgh needing to simplify the workload. The staff's continued praise does not erase mistakes from the Jets contest, but it provides a much broader evaluation than two exhibition box scores.

Wilson still has work to do. The two interceptions thrown while he was targeted against the New York Jets sparked questions about route execution and communication, and Pittsburgh's offensive coaches later stressed that the entire operation needed to be cleaner. A player whose first two professional years produced little margin for error cannot keep handing evaluators fresh reasons to revisit old concerns.

The preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills therefore remains meaningful even if Kaboly is correct. Wilson may not be fighting merely to survive the cut, but he is competing for snaps, targets and how much trust the coaching staff carries into Week 1. Those battles can alter a season even when they do not alter the 53.

Steelers Can Lower Wilson's Role Without Pulling The Plug

Roster discussions often become too binary. A player is either breaking out or getting cut, with apparently no available parking spaces between those two destinations. Wilson's situation looks much more likely to land somewhere in the middle.

Bernard can become the preferred third receiver. Wilson can remain a useful fourth option. Pittsburgh can continue asking him to learn multiple alignments, explore punt-return duties and prove he deserves a larger offensive share without pretending his NFL career hangs on every preseason target.

The Black and Gold also have years of investment behind Wilson. That alone should never protect an ineffective player, but his recent practices have given the new coaching staff reasons to keep exploring what he can provide. Angelichio publicly says he is improving, and Pittsburgh is adding responsibilities rather than quietly taking them away.

Kaboly's immediate “no” does not mean Wilson has suddenly answered every concern surrounding him. Far from it. His first two seasons were underwhelming, Bernard has increased the pressure, and a sloppy finale would send him into September with considerably less offensive momentum than he had when camp began.

It simply means the panic may be aimed at the wrong question. Wilson might be fighting for his place in the pecking order. Kaboly does not believe he is fighting for his place in the building.

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