The moves to acquire WR Mike Williams and EDGE Preston Smith weren’t flashy or headline-grabbing, but they were smart, savvy ones. They improved the roster entering the second half of the season and now have the Steelers looking even more like a legitimate contender in the AFC.
That’s how Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio sees the Steelers.
Appearing on 93.7 The Fans’ PM Show with Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller, Florio stated that the Steelers are more capable of making a run in the AFC playoffs than they were previously, and that has to do with the roster upgrades the Steelers made on Tuesday.
Granted, Florio doesn’t think that way based entirely on two additions who haven’t played in a game for the Steelers yet, but those additions certainly helped formulate his thought.
“I think with Russell Wilson, the way he’s been playing, the somewhat uncharacteristic willingness to give up future assets to try to help the team get better, now when you look at where they are, I think they can win the postseason,” Florio said of the Steelers, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on YouTube. “They can get hot, they can improve. Nine tough games coming up now. The Browns games, who knows, but they’re still division rivalries, but you’ve got the Commanders, the Chiefs, the Eagles and six division games. It’s not gonna be easy. But I think the Steelers are in that mix.”
Adding the likes of Williams and Smith shores up depth for the Steelers. It brings in two experienced, accomplished veterans who can step right into key roles on the roster and produce, helping the Steelers down the stretch in what will be a gauntlet of a second-half schedule.
Khan and the Steelers quickly answered a major question mark on offense on Tuesday, adding a receiver to the mix—finally—after striking out on Brandon Aiyuk, Davante Adams, DK Metcalf, and reportedly Christian Kirk this season.
Though Williams doesn’t move the needle all that much, he’s a big-play threat who wins in contested catch situations down the field. This bodes well for the Steelers’ offense with Wilson under center, giving Pittsburgh another weapon to stretch the field vertically and win when Wilson uncorks his moon balls.
Defensively, adding a guy in Smith with 68.5 career sacks as a potential No. 4 OLB is a lot like what the Steelers did last season with Markus Golden. It’ll allow the Steelers to rotate at OLB freely and keep the likes of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith as healthy and fresh as possible in the second half of the season.
That should be a scary thought for opponents.
Adding those two pieces into the fold while coming off of a bye week is a positive development for the Steelers. Pittsburgh played very well in the first half and looked like a legitimate contender in the first eight games of the season, especially in the two games Russell Wilson started against the New York Jets and New York Giants.
If that continues, look out. Right now, though, the Steelers are in the mix of true contenders in the AFC for Florio, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t be.
“They’re in that conversation of a team that by the time we get to January, can win in the postseason, can win on the road in the postseason, could beat the Bills in Buffalo, could beat the Ravens in Baltimore, could beat the Chiefs in Kansas City, potentially, if anybody can beat the Chiefs,” Florio added regarding the Steelers. “And that may be the reality. Nobody may have a chance at beating the Chiefs except the Lions in the Super Bowl when it comes down to it.
“But I still think the Steelers are capable, more capable this year than in other recent years of winning in the postseason.”
