Find something you love more than the Pittsburgh Steelers love circling back to free agents they showed pre-draft interest in. Impossible. You can’t. It’s in the team’s DNA and the rare front office continuity. The Steelers have had the same head coach since 2007 and a general manager in the building since 2001. And it could lead them to Philadelphia Eagles DL Milton Williams.
Examples of Pittsburgh’s pre-draft interest persisting are countless. Visitors like TE Ladarius Green, WR Donte Moncrief, CB Steven Nelson, DB Eric Rowe, EDGE Preston Smith, SS Keanu Neal, DE Dean Lowry, S Karl Joseph, and WR Miles Boykin are all examples (to varying degrees of success). Or players the team met with at their Pro Day. Too many to name, but recent players include LB Elandon Roberts and QB Justin Fields.
You get the history. Williams is part of that.
Something of a sleeper coming out of Louisiana Tech in 2021, Williams was a highly productive yet undersized interior lineman, and Pittsburgh did its homework. DL Coach Karl Dunbar went and worked Williams out at his Pro Day, as reported by draft insider Tony Pauline at the time.
“Williams’ position work was outstanding as well. Defensive line coaches from the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cincinnati Bengals took turns putting Williams through drills. Cowboys assistant defensive line coach Leon Lett was also in attendance.”
Where Pittsburgh sends positional coaches is important. The team only makes a handful of stops each year, not travelling from place to place like scouts or even Tomlin himself. Their trips show real interest and intent, doubly so for a smaller-school player like Williams. Pittsburgh usually drafts from what was then known as the Power 5, so when they stray outside of that, as DL Coach John Mitchell once did for South Carolina State’s Javon Hargrave, antenna’s raise even more.
Of course, Williams didn’t land in Pittsburgh. He went to the other side of the state, drafted in the third round by the Philadelphia Eagles. After drafting RB Najee Harris and TE Pat Freiermuth with their top two picks, the Steelers missed out on Williams falling to them in the third round. Williams went 73rd. The Steelers settled for C Kendrick Green 87th. I think you know who won out.
Since then, Williams has balled out. An overlooked part of the Eagles’ fierce defensive line, he had his best season in 2024. Five sacks might not look like much, but he competed with a ton of talented pass rushers for sacks. Because the line was so deep, Williams played less than half the defense’s snaps, making him an efficiently productive player. Analytically, he excelled. He was Pro Football Focus’ No. 15 overall interior defensive lineman and its No. 1 pass rusher, edging out Chris Jones for the top spot.
He came up large in the Super Bowl, sacking QB Patrick Mahomes twice, including this strip-sack to really pour the blowout on.
Pittsburgh’s defense needs run stoppers, but it also needs to improve its rush. As great as Cam Heyward was in 2024, he made up too much of the team’s pass rush production. Heyward was responsible for eight of the d-line’s 12.5 sacks, 64 percent, and 20 of their 38 quarterback hits, 52.6 percent. By the end of the season, Larry Ogunjobi became a non-factor, and though Keeanu Benton is capable of winning 1v1 reps and creating pressures, the sack numbers aren’t translating. Just two in two seasons, his lone 2024 takedown coming in the regular season finale.
And Heyward? He’s not getting younger.
Making a run at Williams is going to cost Pittsburgh an arm and a leg. Not turning 26 until April, he’s a top interior rusher with big-time upside from one of the NFL’s best defenses. There will be a lot of interest. PFF projects him to net $21 million per year while Spotrac comes in a hair under $18 million. Either way, big-time money, especially for Pittsburgh.
Is he the right fit? There are questions. The Steelers also need run defense, and it’s debatable how well Williams can provide that. While he graded out tops against the pass, he ranked 123rd versus the run. Scheme fit is also a concern. Coming out of college, he measured in at 6030, 284 pounds with 31.5-inch arms. Maybe he’s gotten heavier since then, but he isn’t any taller or longer. Pittsburgh’s defense is built around earning the right to rush the passer, meaning the run game must be dealt with first. Williams won’t be able to one-gap and fly upfield as frequently as he did in Philadelphia, needing to also keep linebackers clean to run and chase.
There are layers here. Pros and cons, as there are with any possibility. But what’s clear is Pittsburgh had interest in Williams just a couple years ago. He’s become an impactful player. The Steelers have a defensive line need. The dots are easy to connect. As a top free agent, it shouldn’t take long to find out if Milton Williams is headed cross-state or somewhere else.
