RK Rookie WR Roman Wilson may have just escaped Mike Tomlin’s doghouse — without lifting a finger!
I know one Steelers player who’s happy after the trade deadline.
Roman Wilson WR Pittsburgh Steelers | Michael Owens/GettyImages
If there’s one player on the Pittsburgh Steelers who can breathe a sigh of relief after the sun set on the NFL trade deadline, it’s Roman Wilson. For weeks, there have been rumblings that Omar Khan and the front office could pursue a wide receiver before the trade deadline… and it sounded like they were close to finding an outside option.
The Steelers were reportedly one of the teams that had thrown their hat in the ring for former Raiders veteran Jakobi Meyers, who was ultimately traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Meyers was one of the most talked-about options for Pittsburgh leading up to the deadline.
Luckily for Wilson, no wide receiver trade materialized for the Steelers. Now the young receiver may have just been granted a gift.
Roman Wilson could play a big role for the Pittsburgh Steelers late in the season, despite ‘bone-headed’ mistake
In Pittsburgh’s Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Roman Wilson didn’t earn a reception until 3:42 remaining in the game. Trying to make the most of his lone opportunity, Wilson attempted to hurdle a defensive back after a four-yard gain only to cough up the football. The fumble was recovered by the Colts, who were suddenly given new life.
Thankfully, quarterback Daniel Jones threw an interception just three plays later. In the end, Pittsburgh held on to secure a 27-20 victory, but Wilson’s fumble nearly gave the Colts a chance to fight back in it late in the fourth quarter.
Just hours before the trade deadline, Coach Tomlin spoke to the media in his weekly Tuesday press conference. The Steelers’ head coach was asked about Wilson. Though Tomlin praised his development up until Week 9, he called Wilsoan’s fumble ‘bone-headed ball-security’.
It’s true. Wilson needs to take care of the football. But it’s hard to fault a young player trying to make something happen when he doesn’t touch the ball until the game is essentially over.
Early in the season, we saw what a costly special teams error did to rookie running back Kaleb Johnson. After failing to jump on a live ball in the endzone on a kickoff, Johnson entered Tomlin’s dog house and didn’t play so much as a snap the following week.
With Wilson, things could be different… and it’s not even by his doing; it’s because of a lack of options at wide receiver. Thanks to the Steelers’ inability to trade for a receiver at the deadline, Wilson is still firmly third in line at the position, and it helps that Scotty Miller is trending toward being out this week with a finger injury.
Tomlin still may elect to discipline Wilson with a decreased snap count because of his fumble against the Colts, but there’s no question the Pittsburgh Steelers will need to rely on him down the stretch of the season.
