The Pittsburgh Steelers traded for a wide receiver hours before the NFL deadline ended on Tuesday. Former New York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams joins the Steelers in hopes he'll boost the receiver room. Steelers fans have been wanting a wide receiver to go opposite of George Pickens for months and now their wishes are answered. Since Russell Wilson was named the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh, the passing game has been showing signs of immense growth. The Steelers have jumped two stops in average passing yards per game since last month, from 28th to 26th in the league.
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Steelers' Russell Wilson warms up prior to a game against the New York Giants in 2024.
The Williams trade has received a lot of praise from around the NFL world. Louis Riddick talked about the trade on ESPN's NFL Live Tuesday evening and gave a lot of encouraging words for an emerging Steelers offense.
"He's [Williams] perfect in this room," Riddick said. "Mike, George [Pickens] right in the middle, Calvin Austin doing his work underneath... it's perfect. You got a guy for everyone, for every situation."
Riddick also commented on Williams' physique and described him as one of most physical athletes up close. Williams is known for being a deep threat, just like Pickens, so defenses will have to worry about two big guys going down the field now. This will open up Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, or Pat Freiermuth underneath to get open as well. Wilson will have even more options to look at and Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith can continue to open up the playbook with another deep threat on his offense.
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Head Coach Mike Tomlin during a Pittsburgh Steelers game.
It's been a promising 6-2 start so far for the Steelers and with an offense that's been struggling for the past few seasons, it's a breath of fresh air seeing both the running and passing game getting hot. Head Coach Mike Tomlin made the move to start Wilson over Justin Fields in Week 7 and it has proved to be the right choice since. Tomlin said his press conference Tuesday that the team was actively looking for trades. NFL Insider Adam Schefter was also reporting the Steelers were calling around. Names like Adam Thielen and Darius Slayton were floating around, but Pittsburgh ultimately went with Williams in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Dan Orlovsky on NFL Live also believed that the Williams trade solidifies who is starting for the Steelers for the rest of the season and made an interesting comparison for Williams.
"This move makes me think more so that it is Russell Wilson's job moving forward," Orlovsky said. "This is his DK Metcalf, a new DK. I'm not saying they're the same players. Him and DK, the connection they had with some of the moon balls downfield and some of the vertical routes, that's kind of what that Mike Williams role is going to step into."
Pickens has been a great deep threat for Wilson, but adding another receiver for the 50/50 ball could be dangerous for opposing teams. The Steelers will look to prove they are a true threat in the AFC as they face one of the toughest second half schedule in the NFL, starting Sunday with the 7-2 Washington Commanders.
Steelers Continue To Improve An Already Dominant Defense
Not only did the Steelers trade for Williams, but they added edge rusher Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers to their defense. Smith is a veteran guy and will add much needed depth to the edge rusher room. This room already includes Nick Herbig, Alex Highsmith and superstar TJ Watt. The Steelers also didn't give much up for Smith, sending a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Packers.
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Steelers trade for edge rusher Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers.
The Steelers are surely becoming a well-rounded team from the two new additions on NFL trade deadline day. Some fans were doubting if any moves would be made by Omar Khan, but he finished out the day strong. Pittsburgh's defense is already tough to beat overall, but Smith's addition strengthens it even more. Not much is known how Smith and Williams will be integrated into the team, but Steelers fans will watch with excitement to see if this team is a true Super Bowl contender.
How do you feel about the Steelers' trade moves? Let us know in the comments below!
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