On Tuesday, as the NFL’s trade deadline came and went, the Steelers were more active than some might have expected. Pittsburgh made two additions: Mike Williams, a receiver from the New York Jets, and the other was Preston Smith, an outside linebacker from the Green Bay Packers. In doing so, Pittsburgh only had to part with a fifth-round pick and a seventh-round pick, both in 2025.
The reception from these trades has been positive. It’s mostly because the Steelers seem to have finally gotten help at the receiver position, something they’ve clearly been trying to do for quite some time now. However, while the addition of Williams should help the Steelers’ offense, they still might have been better off with one of the options they pursued first. Those players include Brandon Aiyuk, Davante Adams, and Christian Kirk.
Steelers insider Mark Kaboly joined 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday. He thought that in a perfect world, the Steelers might not have ended up with Mike Williams at all.
“They’re not asking him [Williams] to come in and be the number two,” Kaboly said. “In the perfect world, they would want that. But that perfect world broke his collarbone two weeks ago. The perfect world decided to go play with his buddy in New York. And the other perfect world decided to re-sign with the 49ers.”
Here, Kaboly refers to Kirk, Adams, and Aiyuk. Kirk was a target the Steelers were reportedly in on before he broke his collarbone a couple of weeks ago. We all know the Aiyuk saga well, and he obviously chose to stay in San Francisco. Adams ended up being traded to the Jets, partnering up with his old quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Ironically, that trade made Williams more expendable for New York, eventually sending him to Pittsburgh.
However, Kaboly also had some good things to say about the addition.
“I’d give it a solid B,” Kaboly said of the trade for Williams. “I think he’s coming in here to be a piece of the puzzle, not the final piece. I think they’ll use him in certain situations, and like I said, considering what they had to work with, I think it’s pretty good.”
Mike Williams’ eventual fit in Pittsburgh is still up in the air. At worst, it’s still a good move, as Williams adds depth and experience to the position. Even better, he came at a bargain rate. Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke about Williams’ fit on Wednesday, and he claimed they’ll ‘figure those things out along the way’.
We don’t know how large his role is, but Mike Williams looks like a solid acquisition.
