Five days ago, veteran Mike Williams was traded from the New York Jets to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Nine snaps into his Steelers debut, Williams made a monster play, hauling in a moon ball from QB Russell Wilson for a 32-yard touchdown to give the Steelers a 28-27 lead late in the game.
Williams, who was rather quiet in his first game as a Steeler while playing in a limited role, stepped up in a huge way when his new team needed it most. Facing a 3rd and 9 coming out of a timeout trailing 27-21 on the road with around two minutes left, Wilson dialed up the deep ball to his new target, who made a great over-the-shoulder catch, giving the Steelers the lead.
What a play from the receiver who had been a New York Jet at this time last week.
To that point in the game, Williams didn’t have a single target and had played just eight snaps. But he saved his best for last, hauling in the go route to give the Steelers the lead on the road in Washington in a battle of two top teams in the NFL.
Needing another weapon for Wilson in the passing game, the Steelers waited until near Tuesday’s 4 p.m. trade deadline to land Williams, whom they had been connected to for the last few weeks. Prior to trading for Williams, the Steelers had shown interest in him in free agency, but never got the chance to host him for a visit after he signed with the Jets.
During his time in New York, Williams saw just 21 targets, hauling in 12 passes for 166 yards. He hadn’t found the end zone to that point, but in his first game with the Steelers, he found pay dirt. And it came at a huge time in a situation where he feels rejuvenated.
