The Pittsburgh Steelers were on the hunt for wide receiver help for months. They finally found it with WR Mike Williams ahead of the trade deadline, but he has just one target through two games with the team.
According to Dan Graziano, patience is a virtue — Williams’ inclusion in the offense is coming.
“The Steelers expect Mike Williams to play a role for them at some point this season, but they’re bringing him along slowly and planning to incorporate him into the offense more and more in the coming weeks,” Graziano wrote via ESPN. “He was only in the game to catch the winning touchdown against Washington two weeks ago because of an injury to Calvin Austin III, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him more limited this past week in what was Russell Wilson’s roughest game so far as the team’s starting quarterback.
“On a short week in potentially bad weather against Cleveland on Thursday, I wouldn’t expect a ton from Williams, but it’s coming.”
There was only one real day of practice to prepare for the Browns on a short week, so I wouldn’t expect Williams to play a significantly bigger role. That being said, he went from nine snaps to 25 snaps. Don’t be shocked if he does have a reception or two, and with his deep-ball capabilities, don’t be surprised if he has a big play at some point in the game.
All it took was one target for Williams to catch a 32-yard game-winning touchdown pass against the Commanders, and that was just five days after he was traded to the Steelers.
As Graziano noted, Wilson had a rough game against the Ravens and wasn’t as effective or efficient as a passer. His adjusted net yards per passing attempt was down at 3.40, by far the lowest of the season for him. If he can get back on track, all eligible receivers should experience a lift in their production.
Especially with the Steelers’ red-zone woes since Wilson entered the starting lineup, a 6-4 receiver like Williams would be a logical option to help in that area.
