The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of mouths to feed on offense with the recent addition of WR Mike Williams. But if you think the other pass catchers are worried about having less targets to go around, you would be wrong.
“It’s big time,” said TE Pat Freiermuth, reacting to the Williams trade before practice on Wednesday in a video by 93.7 The Fan on X. “Just another threat. He’s a downfield guy. He can make plays throughout the field, so we’re really excited to have him, and hopefully he can bring some good things to our offense.”
Freiermuth is one of the only pass catchers who has seen a small decrease in targets since Russell Wilson took over as the starting quarterback, though his receiving yards per game have gone up. Even with that being the case, Freiermuth knows how much another deep threat on the outside can help the offense.
Both George Pickens and Mike Williams excel at hauling in contested catches deep down the field. If a team chooses to double one of them, they will either be leaving one in single coverage or they will be giving help to both and opening up space underneath for guys like Freiermuth, Calvin Austin III, and the running game with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
Even two or three deep targets per game for Williams could help transform how opposing teams defend the Steelers. Wilson’s high hang time on his passes is the perfect pairing for a receiver with the skill set of Williams. We have already seen how Wilson’s deep passing has helped unlock the offense. The hope is that Williams will further open up the offense to create even more opportunities for guys like Freiermuth to thrive.
That should start as soon as this Sunday against the Washington Commanders. Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo expects Williams to get involved right away.
