The Steelers Just Landed Two Savvy Veterans
With time dwindling on the NFL Trade Deadline, Steelers GM Omar Khan made moves to bring in a duo of savvy veterans, one on each side of the ball. To start the day, Khan acquired wide receiver Mike Williams from the Jets for a fifth-round pick. Then, when everyone thought Pittsburgh was done, Khan struck again. This time bringing edge rusher Preston Smith to the Steel City for a seventh-round pick.
Steelers Finally Get Their Wide Receiver
It’s not the shiny new toy that fans had hoped for, but Mike Williams will be an upgrade for Russell Wilson. Pittsburgh has been searching for a dynamic pass catcher to pair with George Pickens since the offseason and now they have found him. They attempted to get another New York pass catcher, Darius Slayton, but it fell through.
The Steelers got a glimpse of Williams in their week seven matchup against the Jets where he caught just one pass for 15 yards on two targets. Unfortunately, he never found a role in the Jets’ offense. Now he ends up with the Steelers, who need a playmaker like Williams. With Aaron Rodgers and the Jets this season, Williams caught just 12 passes for 166 yards through nine games. He’ll have a chance to do more in Pittsburgh.
Once the Jets acquired Davante Adams, they had no use for Williams. It’s been speculated that he would end up in Pittsburgh for weeks and now it is finally done. The big-body receiver just turned 30 in October and is in the middle of his ninth NFL season. He was scheduled to meet with the Steelers this offseason, but those plans fell through when he signed with the Jets before the meeting. It was meant to be.
In his first eight seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, Williams caught 319 passes for 4,951 yards and 31 touchdowns. He averaged 15.5 yards per reception and 52.7 yards per game. If the Steelers can get that version of him, they could make noise in the AFC. The last season that Williams was fully healthy was 2021. That season he posted 1,146 yards and nine touchdowns on 76 receptions.
Depth On The Defense
Pittsburgh wasn’t satisfied with just one trade on deadline day, also bringing in edge rusher Preston Smith from the Packers in exchange for a seventh-round pick. Smith is a ten-year NFL veteran who spent four seasons in Washington before becoming a mainstay in Green Bay for the last six seasons. He turns 32 this month and serves as great depth behind TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith.
Smith has had a stellar career so far, grabbing 68.5 sacks, five interceptions, and 269 solo tackles. He has also forced ten fumbles and recovered six. Through nine games this season he has two and a half sacks. Last season he posted eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and four tackles for loss. Pittsburgh has found its replacement for the injured Demarvin Leal and it’s an upgrade.
Since 2021, Smith has appeared in 91 out of 92 possible games for the Packers. They say availability is the best trait to possess, and he’s certainly available. Since 2021 he has 28 sacks, 158 pressures, and 58 run stops. The Steelers have bolstered the depth on the edges, ready to deploy a unit that contains Watt, Highsmith, Smith, Nick Herbig, and Jeremiah Moon. A stellar unit just got better.
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