The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their season on Sunday against the New York Jets.
It ended up being one of the most exciting games of the weekend, as the back-and-forth affair ended with the Steelers winning 34-32. Aaron Rodgers looked like his vintage self in his debut with the team, throwing for 244 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers.
Fellow new arrival D.K. Metcalf also looked great in his debut. The receiver caught four passes for 83 yards, and is obviously going to be the favorite target of Rodgers this season.
One player who failed to make an impact for the Steelers was Roman Wilson. Wilson received praise from Mike Tomlin this offseason and was one of the stars of camp. Wilson was also higher on the depth chart, ahead of Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller.
Thus, it was expected that we would see quite a bit of Wilson in Week 1. Instead, the young receiver only saw 10 offensive snaps and didn't get targeted at all against the Jets. Metcalf and Calvin Austin III led the way among receiver snaps, with 54 and 45 respectively.
Behind Metcalf and Austin, Wilson and Skowronek tied with 10 snaps a piece, while Miller had nine. However, Skowronek actually caught a pass and scored a 22-yard touchdown.
We thought that Wilson had a shot to be WR2, but it's clear after Week 1 that Austin has that spot secured. Austin received six targets and turned that into four catches for 70 yards and one score.
It definitely doesn't help Wilson's case that the Steelers went so tight end-heavy on Sunday. Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth, and Darnell Washington all had at least 25 snaps, and even fourth tight end Connor Heyward saw four snaps.
Unless Austin begins to struggle, it seems like Wilson may be stuck at the WR3 spot. After Skowronek made the most of his opportunity in Week 1, though, he may even get more snaps than Wilson in Week 2.
Wilson is still young, though, and Rodgers likes to throw the ball around, so it would be foolish to count the Michigan product out. Wilson is basically a rookie in 2025 considering injuries limited him to just one game during his true rookie season in 2024.
In college with the Wolverines, Wilson was one of the most productive receivers in the Big Ten. The receiver caught 107 passes for 1,707 yards and 20 touchdowns over 46 career games with Michigan.