Pittsburgh Steelers fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief. General manager Omar Khan pulled off not one but two trades ahead of the trade deadline on Tuesday. First, he flipped a fifth-round pick to the New York Jets to land the long-awaited wide receiver, Mike Williams. Then he sent a seventh-rounder to the Green Bay Packers for edge defender Preston Smith.
Neither move is quite the type that turns the NFL’s landscape on its head by itself. But both moves make sense for the Steelers. And CBSSports.com agrees, viewing both Steelers trades as ones that make sense for Pittsburgh.
“The Steelers have had their eyes on Williams for a few weeks now, and not only did they get him, but they didn’t have to give up very much to make a deal happen…” wrote John Breech in giving the Steelers’ trade for Williams a B- for CBSSports.com. “Williams didn’t put up huge numbers this year in New York, but he was a big-play threat who averaged 13.9 yards per catch, which led the Jets through the first nine weeks. If he can continue to make those big splash plays while catching passes from Russell Wilson, then this trade will have been well worth it for Pittsburgh.”
Williams’ yards per catch is lower than his career average of 15.5. But it’s still a good number that shows he has a knack for making big plays and stretching the field. In 97 career games, Williams has 321 catches for 4,792 yards and 31 touchdowns. He’ll be the top wide receiver opposite George Pickens once integrated into the Steelers’ offense. And he should have a blast catching moonballs from Russell Wilson.
And the Steelers have certainly been looking for a wide receiver to line up next to Pickens. But evidently, Khan also had his eyes on addressing other areas of need leading up to the trade deadline. That’s where Preston Smith comes in.
“Smith has recorded 68.5 sacks in 155 career games played,” wrote Jordan Dajani in giving the Steelers a B grade in his write-up of the Smith trade for CBSSports.com. “He’s set to turn 32 years old in less than two weeks and is under contract through 2026. While Smith is not expected to be a starter in Pittsburgh, he gives the Steelers an incredibly deep pass-rushing unit, which includes T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig. However, Herbig hasn’t played since Week 5 due to a hamstring injury… Pittsburgh has one of the best defenses in the NFL, and it got better on Tuesday.”
Smith has had at least eight sacks in the last three seasons and six of the last nine. He’s off to a slow start in 2024, though, with only 2.5 sacks through nine games. However, Smith is playing in a different defensive scheme than he had previously, which could hinder his productivity.
If Preston Smith can recapture some of his past production as a rotational pass rusher in Pittsburgh, a seventh-round pick is a minuscule price to pay. And a fifth-round pick for Mike Williams isn’t a huge investment, either. But both players could well outperform their price tags. And if that happens, the Steelers should be even stronger through the rest of 2024.
