Does Mike Williams give the Steelers a complete roster?
A strong second wide receiver was the only major thing the Pittsburgh Steelers were lacking, one could argue. And now the Steelers arguably have that in Mike Williams, whom they just acquired via trade. Having already had interest in him during free agency, they have him now, but what is his impact on this roster?
After trading Diontae Johnson, the Steelers never fully fleshed out the wide receiver depth chart. They have made efforts, with Mike Williams being their biggest swing in free agency, but they never even got him in the door. After failing to trade for Brandon Aiyuk and other options suffering injuries, they finally have him.
But is he any kind of “final piece to the puzzle”? The Steelers have a solid to good running game, with an improving offensive line. Their running backs and tight ends are at least up to par, and of course they have George Pickens. Williams coming in makes Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III look a lot better as well, too.
On the defensive side of the ball, they just deepened their pass rush with Preston Smith. They have inside linebackers, as well as defensive linemen. They also have safety depth, and Cory Trice Jr. will strengthen their cornerback depth, along with Cameron Sutton’s return. I think we can also reasonably say that special teams is up to par as well.
The only other thing I didn’t discuss is quarterback, but the Steelers are optimistic with Russell Wilson. Now paired with Mike Williams and George Pickens, one could make the argument that the Steelers are a complete team from top to bottom. That doesn’t necessarily mean the best or deepest or most talented team. But outside of a depth spot here or there, do they really have any holes worth going gray over?
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
