The Pittsburgh Steelers’ pursuit of a wide receiver to play opposite George Pickens finally ended on Tuesday when the team acquired WR Mike Williams ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Speaking to the media on Friday, Pickens sounded like a fan of the addition.
“Having a threat on the outside, another big body, he can go downfield. For a defensive coordinator, it’s gonna be hard for sure,” Pickens said via 93.7 The Fan on Twitter.
One of Pickens’ best traits is his ability to win contested catches downfield and create explosive plays for the Steelers, and in that regard, Williams is a similar player. At a hair under 6-4, Williams is someone big on the outside who can go up and win 50/50 balls, which should fit in well with Russell Wilson’s impressive deep ball.
With Calvin Austin III making strides in recent weeks, the Steelers’ receiving corps seems to be rounding into form. Austin will continue to man the slot while the Steelers have someone in Pickens who’s developed good chemistry with Wilson on the outside. He can continue to work as the team’s No. 1 receiver with another big body in Williams opposite him. The presence of Williams should also force teams to give him attention that otherwise likely would’ve gone to Pickens, which could free up him more.
Couple that with Austin’s speed in the slot, and the Steelers have big-play threats at receiver all over. One of the big reasons why Pittsburgh’s offense has started to round into form outside of Wilson is the emergence of RB Najee Harris. He has run for over 100 yards in three straight games, and the Steelers can use the run to set up the pass. The threat of the pass with an additional weapon like Williams will also lead to less stacked boxes for Harris. If he can continue to thrive, Pittsburgh’s passing attack will benefit along with it.
While the addition of Williams doesn’t provide the same threat that someone like Brandon Aiyuk or Davante Adams would’ve, his skill set makes him a really nice fit in the Steelers’ offense with what they’ve been trying to do. He should open things up for the rest of the offense while being able to create some big plays himself, and he’s ready to connect with Russell Wilson on a few deep balls.
Even if Williams doesn’t see the field much on Sunday, he’s going to have a big impact on the Steelers in the second half of the season, and hopefully he can help the offense continue to excel.
