As the Pittsburgh Steelers head into their final regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals, there has been good news regarding players returning from injuries. Notable players like Justin Fields and Joey Porter Jr. have been practicing in full heading into Saturday’s Week 18 season finale. Other players like Cole Holcomb and Roman Wilson have started practicing again. Wilson has played a total of five snaps this season after dealing with injuries and Holcomb hasn’t seen the field since he was placed on injured reserve in the 2023 season.

Chaz Palla / Trib Live

Steelers’ Roman Wilson makes a catch during practice.

On Wednesday, Wilson gave the media an update on how he’s feeling and gave some positive words about his progress during practice. Wilson seemed to hint that he was getting closer to a return, but it’d be up to the coaches to decide when that’d be. Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith gave an update himself regarding Wilson’s timeline to return during his press conference Wednesday.

“I think you take it really week by week,” Smith said. “Hopefully we are playing long enough to where if it becomes an option, that’s up to Mike [Tomlin] and the trainers.”

The Steelers put out Tuesday that Wilson’s 21-day window started to be reactivated to the team. However, Wilson is still on injured reserve. Smith didn’t give an exact prediction on when Wilson could back, but it seems like the Steelers would have to win a playoff game or two to see Wilson on the field.

Wilson was drafted in the third round by the Steelers in the 2024 NFL Draft. He’s known to be a good blocker and run speedy routes. Injuries have plagued him this season, so Steeler Nation hasn’t had a true look on the rookie’s role in this offense. Even if he was able to play within the next two games, it’s uncertain how much Smith and Head Coach Mike Tomlin would utilize him since he hasn’t played much at all.

Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers’ Roman Wilson during his first minicamp in 2024.

During practices this week leading up to Saturday’s game against the Bengals, videos have shown Wilson practicing at full. Fans noticed how much faster he looks during drills, unlike earlier in the season where Wilson seemed a bit slow running routes at practice.

Rookie WR Roman Wilson is back at practice in uniform for the first time since he went on IR on Oct. 28. He remains on IR. pic.twitter.com/CwJnBUM5LW

— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) December 31, 2024

The situation may change within the next week or so with Wilson’s availability. He may make a lot of progress to show he can play in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. His freshness could be a good thing for an offense that has faltered during the past few games. Steelers fans are eager to see what he can bring to this team, but with only two guaranteed games left, the window is slowly closing to see Wilson this season.

The wide receiver room could use another weapon on offense. Russell Wilson has been finding many different receivers to throw to, but the offense is lacking players who can make plays. Although Wilson hasn’t proved anything in Pittsburgh yet, it wouldn’t hurt to see what he’s got.

Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers wide receivers pose for a picture during practice in 2025.

Steelers Are Getting Healthy For The Playoffs

During the three games in 11-day stretch for the Steelers, it seemed like everything was going wrong. Key players like TJ Watt, Porter Jr. and Fields got hurt. The team was also without George Pickens and DeShon Elliott, who are arguably the best players on their respective side of the ball.

Although they had most of these players back for Christmas Day against the Kansas City Chiefs, it was at the end of their brutal gauntlet, but the players didn’t blame it on that. The team needs to play better as a whole, but the minimal amount of days in between games definitely didn’t help. Now, with one more game against the Bengals and a to be determined Wild Card game, the Steelers will have a lot of players healthy after a much needed rest.

Do you think Wilson will play at all again this season? Let us know in the comments!