The Pittsburgh Steelers went into Philadelphia on Sunday without WR George Pickens for the second week in a row. All eyes were on the rest of the wide receiver corps to see if anyone would step up against the Eagles’ secondary. Most people focused on Mike Williams and Calvin Austin III.
Williams continued his stretch of quiet performances since joining the Steelers. QB Russell Wilson only threw his way twice on Sunday, and he had one catch for 15 yards. On the other hand, Wilson targeted Austin the second-most of any receiving options on Sunday. He threw at Austin five times, only one behind TE Pat Freiermuth. Austin caught all five passes for 65 yards.
What is going on with Williams? And did Austin show enough to be considered a long-term option as the second wide receiver behind Pickens when he’s healthy?
“When I think of a 2, I think of JuJu [Smith-Schuster] when he was here,” said former Steelers DL Chris Hoke on KDKA Nightly Sports Call after the Eagles game. “JuJu was a No. 2 guy, a possession guy, a big physical guy, combat catches. Calvin Austin, he’s talented and he does a good job taking the top off defenses, but I don’t think he’s that kind of guy. They envisioned Mike Williams being that kind of guy. Coach [Mike] Tomlin talked about it when he first came here, that it’s tough to get on a moving train. To me, that’s code for he’s not ready. And I don’t know why he’s not ready.”
Hoke thinks Williams fits the bill of a prototypical No. 2. But Williams hasn’t impressed since joining the Steelers in a mid-season trade with the New York Jets. As Hoke said, it sounds like Williams just isn’t ready for a big role in the Steelers’ offense. Wilson has thrown the ball to Williams seven times in six games. And Wilson didn’t throw him the ball at all in three of those games. He does have five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Steelers fans were incredibly excited when Williams caught his first pass as a Steeler, a game-winning touchdown against the Washington Commanders. But he’s been largely invisible since then. And that’s concerning for a wide receiver in his eighth season in the NFL.
As for Austin, he’s dramatically improved production-wise from last season. He has 28 catches for 452 yards and 4 touchdowns. He’s averaging 16.1 yards per catch, 5.5 yards more than last season. But he doesn’t have the prototypical size of a No. 2 wide receiver according to Hoke. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a productive part of the Steelers’ offense, though.
With Pickens’ status still up in the air for the game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers need a wide receiver to step up. Will Calvin Austin III continue to showcase his speed and big-play ability? Will Mike Williams take the next step as the Steelers prepare for the playoffs? Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said before the Eagles game that the plan is to get Williams more involved.
Whether that actually happens or not remains to be seen.
