It wasn’t the receiver many were hoping the Pittsburgh Steelers would acquire in the end, but the move to land veteran receiver Mike Williams in a trade with the New York Jets has the Steelers’ offense at its highest ceiling in quite some time.
At least, that’s the belief that a pair of The Athletic analysts in Robert Mays and Mike Sando have.
Appearing on the latest episode of “The Athletic Football Show” Wednesday morning, both Mays and Sando praised the Steelers’ trade for Williams, crediting the Steelers for not only not giving up much of anything to acquire a proven veteran but also getting a guy who fits well into Pittsburgh’s style of play with quarterback Russell Wilson.
While there are some concerns about Williams’ health given his injury history, the fact that the Steelers gave up only a fifth-round pick to acquire him was a win.
“Even if he does get hurt, you gave up a 2025 fifth, you don’t really lose a lot of sleep over that. Even if he’s not gonna be a huge part of who you are down the stretch. And based on what the AFC looks like and what the Steelers looked like last week against the Giants, I just think that their ceiling offensively is higher than it’s been at any point,” Mays said, according to video via The Athletic on YouTube. “I mean, probably like the second- to third-to-last Ben Roethlisberger season is the last time I can remember feeling this level of legitimate hope for what the Steelers can be on offense.”
That optimism for the Steelers’ offense started in the offseason with the hiring of former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator. The Steelers landed an offensive mind that fit their style and knew what he was doing, which was a wholesale change from the previous three seasons with Matt Canada.
Then, early in the season the offense showed flashes and created hope with Justin Fields under center. Things really took off, though, in the last two weeks with Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback after returning from a calf injury.
Now, adding Mike Williams to the mix gives the Steelers a second big-play receiver who can win in contested-catch situations down the field, giving Wilson another weapon to throw his moon ball to in hopes of making a play.
It’s all about fit, and right now based on paper, Williams is a great fit for how the Steelers want to play, and what he can add to the mix offensively.
“Their ceiling was so low, Russell Wilson was hitting his head on it when he got there. Okay, now we got a lot higher,” Sando said of the Steelers’ offense following the addition of Williams. “I agree with you. That ceiling has been low for a lot of different reasons. I mean, we can talk about what their coordinator position’s been in the past or whatever. But you’re right, they have a little bit more potential now. Gonna be a fun team to watch.”
They certainly look like a fun team to watch moving forward, especially after the moves made Tuesday ahead of the deadline. Adding the way that the Steelers did to a 6-2 team is very encouraging and sets them up for success moving forward.
That high ceiling offensively hopefully means more production from a points and yards perspective, more wins, and a real shot at competing for a Super Bowl.
