Adam Thielen

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected wide receiver Roman Wilson out of Michigan in the third round, 84th overall, in the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite this relatively significant investment, the wideout’s career has yet to really get off the ground. Wilson suffered ankle and hamstring injuries that derailed his entire rookie campaign, but still came into 2025 with optimism that his development was headed in the right direction. After a strong training camp and preseason, Wilson still struggled to find consistent playing time and only recorded 12 catches in his second season. Now entering his third year, this could be Wilson’s last chance to prove himself to the organization that drafted him that he is a starting-caliber NFL wide receiver. The Athletic listed of players — one from each NFL team — with the most on the line in 2026 . Steelers beat writer Mike DeFabo chose Wilson to represent Pittsburgh. “The Steelers had hoped Roman Wilson would take a leap in Year 2 to be part of the answer at WR2. However, his connection with Aaron Rodgers was inconsistent, and by the end of 2025, the former Michigan receiver slid down the depth chart, leapfrogged by late-season additions Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen . Wilson ended 2025 as a healthy scratch in four of the final five games,” Mike DeFabo wrote. “He’s been working hard this offseason to fine-tune his route running and enters a pivotal third season with a prime opportunity. As the Steelers transition from Arthur Smith’s tight end-centric offense to Mike McCarthy’s scheme, the usage of 11 personnel will skyrocket and could turn the WR3 into a starter rather than a rotational piece.” DeFabo is absolutely right in his assessment that McCarthy’s offensive system, which tends to feature more receivers, will undoubtedly give Wilson his best opportunity to shine. However, it won’t be an easy road for Wilson to become established in that offense. Pittsburgh made a point to aggressively upgrade their wide receiver room this offseason with the additions of Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard . Wilson could very well enter training camp as the third wide receiver ahead of Bernard, but holding onto that spot will be a challenge. Earning the trust of an entirely new coaching staff and continuing to develop a more consistent connection with Aaron Rodgers will all be things on Wilson’s plate throughout training camp. 2026 will undoubtedly be the most important of the former Michigan wide receiver’s career. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Former Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell arrested in Ohio Top 30 greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of all time: No. 20-11 Steelers’ Mason McCormick named to PFF’s 2026 All-Breakout team Jon Gruden urges Steelers to put their faith in Mike McCarthy Steelers will be given case of deja vu vs. Bengals in Week 10

Michael Pittman

WR · PIT

Germie Bernard

WR · PIT

+10 players

general

Former Steelers OC Todd Haley says Pittsburgh WRs could mimic legendary trio

Yahoo Sports NFLJul 14, 2026, 4:13 AM+3 stories · 30dSource ↗

Michael Pittman Germie Bernard George Pickens

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ receiving corps is a group that has been ridiculed over the last pair of seasons, and rightfully so. While they’ve had a legitimate No. 1 in each of those seasons in George Pickens and DK Metcalf, the depth behind them (or lack thereof) has been among the worst in the NFL in each year. The likes of Scotty Miller , Van Jefferson , Allen Robinson , Calvin Austin , Marquez Valdes-Scantling , and Adam Thielen were the names expected to be legitimate options in that span. However, the Steelers added Michael Pittman Jr. via trade with the Indianapolis Colts and Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Joining me on the latest episode of The Pump Fake , former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley said that Pittman is the most important addition of the offseason for Pittsburgh. “Michael Pittman is a solid 1B, 2A – however you want to look at it,” Haley said. “He’s experienced, he understands how to play. I’m sure he and Aaron will get on the same page very quickly… I think the addition of Pittman is the most important addition for the Steelers offense” Haley also noted that if Germie Bernard can come along quickly, Pittsburgh could end up having a trio similar to the one he had as offensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals in 2008 with Larry Fitzgerald , Anquan Boldin , and Steve Breaston when Arizona made it to the Super Bowl. “With Bernard, he’s a key component,” Haley said. “How quickly can he come along? It’s hard as a young receiver to just show up and all of a sudden play against NFL coverages and defenses. So [their additions] are huge. When you have just one [receiver], it’s nice, but defenses can take one away. But when you have two, and maybe three, that’s what we had the benefit of having in Arizona. We not only had a great quarterback that understood where to put the football, and did it accurately, we had [the question] of who are you going to add extra coverage to? Larry Fitzgerald? Anquan Boldin? And if you do that, Steve Breaston was obviously fast enough to hurt you pretty quickly.” Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Breaston are one of just five trios in NFL history to all have 1,000 yards in a season, and the last trio to do it back in that 2008 season. And while it would be unfair to expect the current Steelers’ trio to replicate that, the offense would do serious damage if they can come anywhere close to Arizona’s high-flying offense that faced Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLIII. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Aaron Rodgers leads Steelers teammates on ‘last rodeo’ retreat Pittsburgh Steelers top 10 players ahead of 2026 season Former Steelers CB Joe Haden says Mike Tomlin lacked accountability Steelers Super Bowl champion passes away Steelers defender named biggest bust of 2026

Adam Thielen

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