Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens didn’t just catch five passes; he also kept Mike Williams engaged in his Steelers debut. The newly-acquired wide receiver ended up with the game-winning touchdown, but saw limited snaps. Specifically, he played nine snaps, targeted once, but that happened to be the clincher.
Pickens, who already caught a touchdown earlier in the game, was excited to see his new teammate making plays. “It’s great, man He made a big-time play, too”, he said of Williams, via the Steelers’ website. Cast off by the Jets, Pickens said Williams showed in his Steelers debut “He’s still the great receiver from Clemson”.
An eighth-year veteran, Mike Williams spent his whole career with the Chargers prior to this offseason. He signed with the Jets, but he had a meeting scheduled with the Steelers. They had just recently traded Diontae Johnson and wanted a big target to pair with Pickens. They didn’t get him then, but the two are glad to be working together now. And they know Sunday was just the beginning.
“We knew situationally [Mike Williams] could play a big role”, Pickens said, via the Steelers’ website. “I told him, situationally, ‘Just stay in it’. Because a guy with his size, fourth down, two minutes to go? When it’s waning, we’re looking for guys like that. So I just told him ‘Stay in it’”.
While Williams played a snap here or there, he wasn’t supposed to be on the field for the touchdown. WR Calvin Austin III made a key catch a few plays earlier, but had to exit the game due to injury. A minute and a half later, he was running the route he watched Austin run in his first Steelers practices.
The Steelers spent all offseason exploring their options at wide receiver to pair with George Pickens. Mike Williams was the biggest name they were reported to have pursued in free agency, but he signed with the Jets before ever meeting with them. They pursued Brandon Aiyuk and Davante Adams via trade, among others, but finally landed Williams.
Considering his minimal contributions with the Jets, a lot of Steelers fans weren’t particularly excited about Williams coming in for a fifth-round pick in exchange. But if he can keep making plays like yesterday, he and Pickens can be a good combination.
Russell Wilson threw for under 200 yards in his third start with the Steelers, but with three touchdowns. Pickens caught one of them among his five receptions for 95 yards. Williams had another on his lone 32-yard reception, TE Pat Freiermuth claiming the other.
Would Austin have made the same play had he been in the game? Perhaps, perhaps not. The way Williams won on the play, it didn’t take much effort at the catch point. But one thing I do know is that’s not the last time Wilson and the Steelers chuck one up to him. Now they have another jump-ball player to pair with Pickens, which they were looking for.
