Roman Wilson’s tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers has been rocky to say the least. The hope for him heading into year three is that a new staff will serve as a fresh start for the former 3rd-rounder out of Michigan.

Through the start of OTAs, you are hearing a lot of the same things about Wilson heading into year three that you heard before his rookie season, which went off the rails before he could even get going. Don’t take my word for it; listen to what Wilson had to say.

Roman Wilson addresses rookie year struggles

“I was doing pretty good that first week [of training camp] and then had the ankle injury,” Wilson told reporters at OTAs. “Going through that process really sucked for me ’cause that was my first time in Latrobe; my first time being away from everything in my support system and then getting hurt. It was a weird feeling man because I’m here to play football and I’m no longer playing. I was having a really hard time coming back from it.”

I remember that day like yesterday. Wilson was having a stellar start to his inaugural camp in Latrobe, and just a week into his start, he turned his ankle and was never the same for the rest of the year.

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He was placed on IR, struggled to grasp the playbook, suffered a hamstring injury, and essentially had his first season washed away. 2025 wasn’t much better, but there were at least flashes of play that showed his ability to get open vertically and run routes over the middle of the field.

Yet, down the stretch of the season, when the Steelers were fielding WRs who are still free agents or retired, Wilson was rendered inactive. So a fresh start seems imperative for Wilson and the Steelers, and the early returns from Mike McCarthy have been very positive. Wilson has been taking WR No. 3 reps, and a second year with Aaron Rodgers could help him come the season. A season that will be critical for his NFL future.