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. 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.
Matt Coller·
The Vikings landed a wide receiver who they can plug into the starting lineup after being acquired less than two weeks before the start of the season and the Panthers got good value for a 35-year-old receiver who might have ended up getting pushed down the depth chart as the season went along. The positive side of Thielen’s recent performances in Carolina is that his hands have been every bit as reliable as they once were in Minnesota. He had just six drops on 199 targets over the last two years. Those numbers all bode well for McCarthy. As we saw once upon a time with Case Keenum, quarterbacks do not have to be flawlessly accurate when tossing the pigskin in Thielen’s direction. McCarthy has struggled at times during training camp with pinpoint accuracy at times but Thielen is still capable of making bad passes into completions.
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