Steelers' Answer At WR2 Still Uncertain: 'Roman Will See A Little Bit More'

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off their Week 5 bye with a 3-1 record, following a 24-21 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4. The Steelers left Ireland a little more banged up than when they got there, as they prepare to battle the Cleveland Browns on Sunday with a couple names on the injury report -- most notably wide receiver Calvin Austin III. After suffering a shoulder injury against Minnesota, it appears Austin will potentially miss multiple games. With Austin likely out, the Steelers will now have to look elsewhere for the second wide receiver option on offense.

The Steelers have a few choices in terms of who can step up. Ben Skowronek is the only other Steelers wide receiver not named DK Metcalf or Austin to find the end zone this year, but he also only has one reception. Fans have been waiting for Roman Wilson to get his opportunity to prove his potential, he also only has one catch on the season. Scotty Miller has played some offensive snaps as well, but has yet to catch a pass in 2025.

During a guest appearance on The PM Team on 93.7 The Fan, Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo gave his prediction on which wide receiver we will see more from on Sunday.

"I think Roman [Wilson] will see a little bit more playing time," Fittipaldo noted. "I haven't looked at his snap counts lately, but he is probably around 10-12 per game. I think you might see him up around 15 to 18 or 20 [with Austin out]."

Steelers fans have been patiently waiting for Wilson to get an opportunity to get involved in the Steelers' passing attack, but that hasn't come in the first four weeks of the 2025 season. The Steelers spent a third-round pick in 2024 to draft Wilson out of Michigan. Wilson showed big-play capabilities in his time with the Wolverines, but injuries have kept him on the sideline for the majority of his NFL career so far. He only played five snaps in 2024, dealing with ankle and hamstring injuries, but he has been fully healthy in 2025, however Aaron Rodgers has only thrown his way twice through four games. 

While Wilson might see a slight increase in snaps with Austin out, we might see more Miller and Skowronek, at least that is what Fittipaldo thinks.

"I think you're also going to see a healthy dose of Scotty Miller, and of course Ben Skowronek. Especially if the Steelers want to continue to run the ball. Let's look at the Vikings game, they had great success with that jumbo package, and Skowronek was in on a bunch of those plays," said Fittipaldo.

The Steelers had their best rushing performance of the season in Dublin against the Vikings, and a large part in that was the formations that the Steelers used with more big bodies up front. Guys like Spencer Anderson and Darnell Washington played big roles in making holes, while Skowronek helped secure the outside. If the Steelers want to keep going to that jumbo formation, expect plenty of Skowronek on Sunday instead of Wilson.

Steelers Need Someone Other Than Metcalf To Catch Passes

Whether the run game is successful or not, the Steelers need the passing attack to be effective, and that means taking the pressure off of Metcalf. Metcalf is coming off his best performance as a Steeler against the Vikings, catching five passes for 126 yards and touchdown, including an 80-yard catch and run to the end zone. It is a secret to no one that Metcalf is an elite playmaker, but someone else is going to have to step up with Austin down. 

Aside from wide receivers, the Steelers need their tight ends to step up as well. Jonnu Smith leads the tight end room in receiving with 71 yards on 14 catches and a score, but it has been a very quiet season so far from Pat Freiermuth. Freiermuth has only caught seven passes on 10 targets. He has been reliable throughout his career, and the Steelers might need to rely on him a little more with Austin out.