Roman Wilson is doing something he couldn’t do in his first two NFL seasons: making the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback talk about him unprompted.
Wilson, a third-round pick out of Michigan in 2024, spent his rookie and sophomore years buried on the depth chart and battling injuries. He finished the 2025 season with just 12 catches for 166 yards and two touchdowns, numbers that fell well short of what Pittsburgh hoped for when it drafted him. Three weeks into 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, that version of Wilson is nowhere to be found.
Rodgers keeps talking about him
Aaron Rodgers isn’t in the habit of handing out empty praise. This week, ahead of Pittsburgh’s first preseason game, the quarterback said Wilson “looks to be more dynamic,” according to comments relayed by Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. Rodgers added that Wilson is “making plays” and growing more confident, even joking around more in the locker room.
Rodgers has said similar things throughout camp. Earlier this month he told reporters he expects Wilson to “start to make some splash plays,” pointing to a strong showing from Wilson back in the spring as a sign of things to come.
That’s a notable shift in tone. Last summer, Rodgers was still coaching Wilson through mental blocks rather than praising his play, at one point saying he needed to get the young receiver “out of his own head.” A year later, the conversation has moved from potential to production.
New coaching staff, new opportunity
Pittsburgh hired Mike McCarthy as head coach this offseason, and the staff overhaul reached the receiver room too. Adam Henry, who spent three seasons developing Khalil Shakir into a 1,500-yard target with the Buffalo Bills, took over as Pittsburgh’s receivers coach. According to Steelers Depot, McCarthy has praised Henry’s early work with the position group, specifically noting how Wilson has been “one of the most impressive players at camp” under his tutelage.
The Steelers also loaded up around Wilson this offseason. They traded for Michael Pittman Jr. to pair with DK Metcalf, giving Rodgers two established outside targets. That left a genuine question mark at slot receiver, one Wilson is now answering. Pittsburgh’s first official training camp depth chart listed Wilson as the starting slot receiver, ahead of second-round rookie Germie Bernard.
McCarthy has even floated using Wilson more broadly than that. Per Last Word on Sports, the head coach said he wants to work Wilson outside as well, pointing to his vertical speed as a fit for what McCarthy calls “the Autobahn” on the perimeter. Wilson, McCarthy said, can now line up at X, Z, and F.
What changed
The biggest difference from a year ago isn’t scheme. It’s chemistry. Wilson caught just 12 of 21 targets from Rodgers last season, a 57.1 percent catch rate, per Pro Football Reference figures cited by Still Curtain. The two rarely looked in sync. This camp, that has flipped — Still Curtain reports Wilson now has plays specifically designed to go to him as Rodgers’ first read, something that wasn’t happening in 2025.
| Category | 2025 Season | 2026 Camp (reported) |
|---|---|---|
| Targets from Rodgers | 21 | N/A — camp only |
| Catch rate | 57.1% | N/A — camp only |
| Receptions | 12 | N/A — camp only |
| Depth chart slot role | Buried behind veterans | Listed as starting slot receiver |
The competition isn’t over
None of this locks in Wilson’s role. Bernard, Pittsburgh’s second-round pick out of Alabama, remains a real threat to that slot job, and multiple outlets have framed the two as locked in a genuine competition. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted Wilson knows he’s facing “stiff competition” from Bernard for the starting job, even as he’s shown he belongs in that conversation.
There’s also a track record working against overconfidence here. Wilson has had strong camp buzz before that didn’t translate to the regular season — his rookie summer included praise from Rodgers, too, before injuries and inconsistency buried him on the depth chart. As one Steelers Nation piece put it, talent was never really the question with Wilson. Turning camp flashes into reliable, in-game production when Rodgers needs him is the part he hasn’t proven yet.
What it means for Pittsburgh’s offense
If Wilson holds the job, the Steelers get a three-receiver group with genuinely different skill sets. Metcalf threatens defenses vertically on the outside. Pittman wins with size and physicality on intermediate routes. Wilson, working from the slot, brings the quickness to attack the middle of the field — exactly the sort of matchup problem McCarthy’s offense, which is expected to lean more heavily on three-receiver personnel, is built to create.
Nothing is decided yet. The preseason will be the real test, and Bernard hasn’t gone away. But for a player who entered his third season with his roster spot anything but guaranteed, Roman Wilson has turned training camp into the best stretch of his NFL career so far — and given Pittsburgh’s coaching staff a real reason to build around him.
