Insider Reveals Why Steelers Aren't Playing Roman Wilson

Roman Wilson's lack of usage recently, particularly in the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 17 loss to the Cleveland Browns without DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III being available, has been puzzling to say the least.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, Wilson's noninvolvement has come down to the fact that the Steelers are more confident in what Adam Thielen and Marquez Valdes-Scantling bring to the table.

"I was told Roman Wilson isn't playing as well as the two veteran wide receivers," Dulac said during an appearance on KDKA's Steelers Kickoff Show, per Steelers Depot's Alex Kozora. "And that's Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen."

Oct 12, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson (10) warms up before the game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Tomlin's Explanation for Wilson's Role

Against Cleveland last week, Wilson logged just nine offensive snaps while Thielen and Valdes-Scantling finished with 57 and 54, respectively.

When asked why Wilson wasn't more involved in the game plan, head coach Mike Tomlin stated that it came down to the fact that Pittsburgh didn't win enough possession downs, thus limiting the 2024 third-round pick's time on the field.

"We've had this conversation many times about running the football," Tomlin said. "I felt really good about our run plan. I thought we had an opportunity to really control the game through those means, and we didn't have a bad running day. But we certainly didn't have as good a running day as we could have had we converted more possession downs.

"And I think the same could be said about levels of participation for guys like Roman and thus their ability to impact the game."

Thielen and Valdes-Scantling played minimal roles in the Steelers' loss to the Browns, combining for 35 receiving yards on 14 targets and five receptions while the offense mustered just six points. Wilson, meanwhile, was not targeted.

Wilson's Outlook

After playing just five snaps as a rookie last season, it seemed as though Wilson had a chance to make an impact this year after a rather impressive preseason that saw him finish with four catches for 96 yards.

He had a slow start to the regular season, recording just seven yards through Week 4, but he did log 159 yards and two touchdowns between Weeks 6 and 11.

Once Thielen and Valdes-Scantling made their Steeler debuts against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, however, Wilson took a back seat, as he had been a healthy inactive for three-straight games before playing against the Browns with Metcalf and Austin out.

Since Austin is set to return from a calf injury vs. Baltimore, Wilson may once again find himself among Pittsburgh's inactives even with Metcalf still serving his suspension for a fan altercation in Week 16 at Ford Field.

Though Wilson has potential, he just hasn't yet found his footing with the Steelers, and it's hard to imagine that he'll play much even if he is active in tonight's AFC North title bout with the Ravens.

At this point, it's fair to wonder whether or not Wilson will even be on the roster for the 2026 season, which is quite a disappointing conclusion to come to considering the fact that he was a Day 2 draft pick just two years ago.

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