Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers sang the praises of Pittsburgh Steelers third-year wide receiver Roman Wilson throughout the summer. Wilson then experienced a bit of a rough preseason.
In the second exhibition game, signal-caller Will Howard threw two interceptions on passed intended for Wilson. Social media debates raged about whether Howard or Wilson was more at fault for the turnovers.
But Wednesday, Rodgers didn’t waver in his praise for Wilson. The quarterback shared to reporters that he is “really proud” of the progress Wilson has made entering 2026.
“He’s a lot smoother this year, and when you have a dynamic physical trait like speed, which he does, he’s a crazy top-end speed. If you can figure out the intermediate stuff, you can really become a big-time player,” said Rodgers, via PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh. “I feel like he’s made a lot of steps in that direction.
“More than any of that, though, he’s constantly asking questions, verifying things, making sure he’s on the same page when he takes an install in the receiver room and then comes to me in the locker room about certain questions. And I love that.”
Rodgers added that Wilson is “made of the right stuff.” Steelers insider Mark Kaboly posted video of Rodgers’ entire answer on the young wideout on X.
Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Says He’s ‘Proud’ of Roman Wilson
When he began discussing Wilson on Wednesday, Rodgers stressed Wilson’s top attribute — speed. That’s something the quarterback has done previously when the media has brought up the third-year receiver.
“First of all, you’ve got to know who you are. You’ve got to know what type of player you are and how you challenge a defense,” Rodgers said of Wilson. “Then use that against the defense, and I think that as fast as he is, he was kind of like just a deer in the headlights out there at times.
“Just bouncing around, long striding, not kind of setting up his routes.”
The Steelers hope Wilson’s smoother route-running and attention to details yield better results this season. Through two seasons, Wilson has 12 catches for 166 yards in 14 NFL games. Last year, he was a healthy scratch for most of December.
Fortunately for Rodgers and the offense, the Steelers don’t need Wilson to be a starter. The team added Michael Pittman Jr. to line up opposite DK Metcalf on the outside.
But Wilson could still play a significant role as a WR3 in the slot. Wilson will begin the regular season with an edge over rookie Germie Bernard for that job.
Wilson Still Making Regular Mistakes
It wasn’t all positives for Wilson on Wednesday.
First off, Rodgers can rave about the young receiver all he wants. At a certain point, though, Wilson needs to produce in games.
That hasn’t happened despite the wideout looking good in practice previously. Wilson didn’t even look great in preseason games largely playing against backups.
Then in Wednesday’s practice, Rodgers threw an interception on a pass intended for Wilson. The veteran quarterback addressed what happened leading to that turnover.
“[Wilson] made a repeat mistake. You know, that’s a good learning experience. Because I don’t think he’s going to do that again. But he did the same thing earlier in training camp, and we said, ‘Hey, on that under route, you gotta keep coming.’
“I think that it’s best that it happened in practice.”
Rodgers can say Wilson won’t make that mistake again, but it sounds as though he already has — at least several weeks apart.
In Week 2 of the preseason, Wilson appeared to commit the same error on two separate Howard interceptions. Although he never mentioned Wilson’s name, that’s what head coach Mike McCarthy might have suggested to reporters after the game.
“It’s just one mistake leads to two. It happened on both plays. There’s something that wasn’t right,” McCarthy said. “[Howard] played through it last week, he had two things happen to him last week, he played right through it.
“Sometimes you see it, sometimes you don’t. That’s the part of playing.”
After blaming Wilson for the interception, Rodgers was again complimentary of the receiver.
“[Wilson] is a great kid,” said Rodgers. “He’s had a fantastic camp. I have utmost confidence in him.
“He’s going to have to play a big role for us.”
To do that, Wilson has to begin showing the improvement his quarterback keeps talking about in real games.
Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Sends Clear Message on WR Roman Wilson Before 2026 Season