Signing undrafted rookie wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams to their 53-man roster on Saturday and making him their starting punt returner could have been a challenging situation for the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at Acrisure Stadium against the Cleveland Browns.
A rookie making his NFL debut and having to do so as the punt returner in AFC North action can be a hairy situation. But Williams was nearly flawless against the Browns.
In the Steelers’ 23-9 win, Williams returned three punts for 30 yards, doing a nice job of getting upfield, picking up yards and avoiding any mistakes. Those 30 return yards on three punts look pretty good, but it should have been an even better day as he had a 47-yard punt return wiped out by a Jabrill Peppers illegal blindside block.
Though the block looked legal, it was flagged and wiped out the explosive return.
For head coach Mike Tomlin, Williams’ performance was one he was very pleased with while speaking to reporters Monday on a short week ahead of the Steelers’ Week 7 Thursday Night Football matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Can’t say enough about young Key as a punt returner,” Tomlin said, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “Getting his first NFL action in place of Calvin [Austin III] for example. I thought he made good decisions. I thought he was mechanically solid.
“Fundamentally solid.”
A veteran head coach can’t say anything better about a rookie return man than what Tomlin said of Williams.
Against a punter with a big leg, one who can outkick his coverage and give returners opportunities, Williams seized the moment and created some splash. Though the 47-yarder was wiped out by Peppers’ penalty, Williams still had a 15-yard return in the Steelers’ win.
He took care of the football, picked up the available yards that were there, and was consistent. Sometimes in those situations with a late addition to the roster and an elevation into a role he hasn’t held since preseason, just being fundamentally sound goes a long way.
Williams stepped up to the challenge and passed with flying colors, earning praise from his head coach in the process.
While Austin is a dynamic return man in his own right, maybe it makes sense moving forward to keep Williams in the role. Austin has battled injuries this season, and Williams has certainly earned more looks on special teams, that’s for sure.
