As the NFL’s trade deadline came and went on Thursday, multiple teams around the league added players as part of their playoff pushes. One of those teams was the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh made a pair of moves on deadline day, acquiring receiver Mike Williams from the New York Jets and outside linebacker Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers.
As of now, the reception regarding Pittsburgh’s acquisitions has been very positive. It’s hard not to feel good about the moves. Williams and Smith came cheap, with Pittsburgh using a 2025 fifth-round pick on Williams and a 2025 seventh on Smith.
One man who shares that positivity is Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. Florio joined 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday and gave the Steelers some credit.
“They’re not gonna mortgage the future,” Florio said of the Steelers. “They’re not gonna give up more than they want. They’re content not to do the deal. And if the deal works, the deal works. And I think it worked out well for them. I think Mike Williams in that offense, given what we’ve seen from Russell Wilson throwing the ball to not just George Pickens but the other receivers, it’s a clear number two.”
Florio starts by crediting the Steelers by refusing to give up more than they’d like to just for the sake of making a deal. We saw Pittsburgh show interest in players like Brandon Aiyuk and Davante Adams over the past few months. Yet, each of those situations fizzled out. It’s fair to claim that Pittsburgh’s unwillingness to ‘mortgage the future’ is part of the reason for that. However, now the Steelers end up with Williams, who they were able to acquire for pennies on the dollar.
Williams does have some question marks. He hasn’t produced much throughout the 2024 season. He’s also dealt with injuries in the past, although he hasn’t had to manage any this year. Williams is now 30 years old, so it’s fair to assume he’s physically at the end of his prime.
Still, there are a lot of things he’ll add to the offense. First and foremost, as Florio mentioned, Pittsburgh now has a second option at receiver. Players like Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin have been solid since Wilson became the starter, but the lack of true depth behind George Pickens was apparent. Mike Williams and his ability to catch deep 50/50 balls should also be an excellent fit with Wilson.
All things considered, the Steelers did a good job, and Florio seems to be aware of that.
