The Aaron Rodgers-Roman Wilson connection moves in the right direction at Steelers training camp

New York Times

06-08-2025

LATROBE, Pa. — The Aaron Rodgers-to-Roman Wilson connection took a step in the right direction on Tuesday, starting with the first drill of practice. During Seven Shots, Rodgers was flushed out of the pocket. He rifled a pass between two defenders and into the outstretched hands of a diving Wilson.
Advertisement
'Just trying to be open at all times,' Wilson said. 'I want him to want to use me. I want to be that guy.'
That early completion jumpstarted Wilson's best day of camp. With Calvin Austin III still sidelined due to an injury Wilson took the majority of the WR2 reps, including many 12 personnel packages with two tight ends and two receivers on the field.
During an 11-on-11 period, Rodgers found Wilson on a quick out. Later, the veteran QB connected with Wilson on a dig route about 20 yards downfield.
When the Steelers acquired DK Metcalf, he instantly became Rodgers' go-to weapon. The QB's quick release and Metcalf's ability to win on slants, whip routes and quick outs has married well. Rodgers' connection with receivers not named Metcalf has been slower to develop.
Before Tuesday, the most noteworthy targets in Wilson's direction were missed connections. Wilson and Rodgers weren't on the same page on an out route early in the first week. On Sunday, Rodgers targeted Wilson on a corner route — the ball skipped well in front of the receiver, suggesting it could have been a route depth issue. Rodgers has been hands-on, teaching Wilson exactly how he wants routes to be executed.
'No matter where you go, when you've got new guys coming around who have been in different things, it takes a second for it to click,' Wilson said. 'Just keep working on it.'
Theoretically, Wilson's skillset should complement Rodgers well. At Michigan, Wilson feasted on in-breaking routes — 71.7 percent of his catches during the Wolverines' 2023 national championship campaign came between the numbers. A former track star in high school, he also possesses the top-end speed to create yards after catch, with 37.5 percent of his receptions in 2023 resulting in a 20-plus-yard play.
'(I'm trying to be) open deep down the field and intermediate down the field, low crosses things like that,' Wilson said.
Advertisement
Wilson, who ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, caught the Steelers' eye with some competitive reps against Quinyon Mitchell at the Senior Bowl. However, a hip-drop tackle in the first padded practice and a hamstring injury in-season derailed Wilson's rookie season. Wilson has leaned on Austin, who also lost his rookie year to injury, as a mentor and as blueprint.
'Just going through my injuries, he helped me a lot,' Wilson said. 'Gave me a lot of advice, gave me a lot of wisdom … I look up to him. He's like a big brother, and I feel like he's always got the right answer for me.'
Beyond the Rodgers connection, Wilson is still working to become a more polished route runner. He said receivers coach Zach Azzanni has worked with him on keeping his feet in front of him instead of getting too wide in his stance. While Tuesday was progress, there's still plenty of room for growth.
'Just taking it step by step, day by day,' Wilson said. 'I tell myself don't get too high, don't get too low. Just be consistent and just keep chipping away. You guys (in the media) like to say I showed up today, but, you know, just come back tomorrow and try to repeat.'
• Quarterback Will Howard sustained a broken right pinky at Tuesday's practice.
• In other injury news, tight end Jonnu Smith left practice with knee soreness. Tomlin said it's 'less significant.' Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith is expected to miss 'at least a couple days,' with a groin injury that he sustained on Sunday.
• Rodgers's velocity was noticeable on Tuesday, one of the best days from the offense. That included a dart up the seam intended for Connor Heyward. The pass hit off the tight end's face mask and was intercepted by inside linebacker Patrick Queen. During a seven-on-seven period, Rodgers went right back to Heyward for a nice gain.
• The Steelers ended practice with a two-minute drill. The offense, led by Rodgers, started at the 40-yard line with 1:41 on the clock. Rodgers meticulously moved the group down the field, completing his first four passes to Pat Freiermuth, Jaylen Warren, Freiermuth again and Warren again. After an incomplete pass, Rodgers targeted Wilson on a skinny post. Defensive back Brandin Echols dove to deflect the pass and safety Juan Thornhill intercepted it.
• Speaking of Echols, he and the other depth defensive backs got more time against the fist-team offense, as Joey Porter Jr. only participated in individual drills and Jalen Ramsey got a day off. Darius Slay also had a lighter workload than usual. (This could have been part of the reason the offense had one of its best days of camp.) Echols has been enjoying a solid camp. Meanwhile, James Pierre's best rep came when he stayed in DK Metcalf's hip pocket on a go route.