Steelers Trade for WR Mike Williams, OLB Preston Smith on Trade Deadline Day
As most of yinz have surely noticed, the NFL trade deadline was yesterday at 4 pm eastern time. I got a bit nervous when I saw the Mike Tomlin press conference going on yesterday afternoon and no moves had been made. During that presser, he made a comment about how the Steelers were actively searching for WRs, as well as other positions to ensure this team is ready for the brutal back half of the season. Immediately, speculation began on ‘Steelers Twitter’ about what position(s) he could be talking about. It turns out, that position was OLB, but more on that later.
It has been borderline nauseating talking about the wide receiver room to this point in the season. The Steelers have been linked to LITERALLY every single available wide receiver in football. Whether it was Brandon Aiyuk, Davonte Adams, Christian Kirk, or DeAndre Hopkins…the Pittsburgh Steelers have been linked to all of them, and none of them have materialized. I’ve been pretty openly critical of GM Omar Khan for coming into the season with such a glaring need for receiving help; especially when the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs are nabbing a guy like DeAndre Hopkins for a 5th-round pick. Thankfully, right at the damn buzzer, Omar Khan decided to make a move. The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded a 2025 5th-round draft pick to the New York Jets for WR Mike Williams. You might remember, he had a scheduled visit with us over the summer, but he signed with the New York Jets before getting a chance to set foot in Pittsburgh. Now, with a crowded target share in New York, he comes to Pittsburgh, and figures to step in as WR2 immediately.
It feels strange to me that Mike Williams is 30 years old…evidently time is FLYING. But, that is the case, so there’s no denying that he’s up there in age, and it shows in his film. Plus, he’s coming off an ACL tear, so his ability to finish this season from a health standpoint isn’t exactly a guarantee. Thankfully, he will become a free agent after this season, so there’s very little risk associated with this move. With that in mind, I think this is a great move. Obviously, landing a guy like Brandin Aiyuk or Christian Kirk would’ve been ideal, but with both of them now injured, and having brought in Williams for only a 5th-round pick, I’m confident that this was probably the best move available to us BECAUSE of the little risk associated with it. We don’t need the 2021 1,000+ yard guy from the Chargers. We’re a run heavy team with a clear, bonafide number 1 receiver in George Pickens. What we need is another OUTSIDE threat to play opposite of Pickens, and that is exactly what Mike Williams brings. He’s still a big body guy that’s going to win a majority of the jump balls that get thrown his way; especially those BEAUTIFUL moon balls by Russell Wilson (pause). Just looking at it from a fit in terms of personnel perspective, Mike Williams fits well within the framework of our offense. And, as a veteran guy, he has a track record that defenses HAVE to respect, which will open up things for Pickens, among others. I don’t know if this moves the needle for us later in the season, but we are a better team with Mike Williams in the locker room, assuming he’s healthy, of course.
The Khan artist wasn’t done, though. This one caught me off guard. The Pittsburgh Steelers traded a 2025 7th-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for OLB Preston Smith. The Steelers will take on the remainder of his contract for the 2024 season, valued at roughly $2 million. The $13.4 million due to him in 2025, and the $14.1 million in 2026, are non-guaranteed, so the Steelers could part with him pretty easily after this season, should they choose to. Again, a low-risk move for a proven veteran. Earlier today, it came out that Preston Smith requested to be traded out of Green Bay because of their new defensive scheme, which he felt didn’t suit his play style. Now, he comes to a perfect situation in Pittsburgh alongside the likes of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, and Jeremiah Moon. With all the EDGE talent that we have in Pittsburgh, Smith isn’t going to have to be an every-down guy. He’ll be an above-average depth piece for us, and with fewer reps, it could actually help boost his productivity, seeing as he’ll be fresh whenever he’s on the field. Also, he does an excellent job of setting the edge and stopping the run…something he is WELL above-average at doing. For a 7th-round pick, it was a no-brainer for Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers to pull the trigger on this; especially with guys like Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig both coming off recent injuries.
I know there’s disappointment within Steeler Nation right now, because a lot of yinz were expecting a major splash move at the WR spot. But, I know for a FACT that most of yinz that are upset we didn’t land a big name receiver didn’t expect us to be 6-2 at the bye week either. The fact is that we have overachieved to this point, and we got better at the trade deadline. I’ve sat through some ROUGH years as a fan of this team…but this year is not one of them. You can see it in the interactions between the guys in the locker room, and I suspect we will continue to see it as Hard Knocks cameras will be watching our every move for the next couple of months. This is a front office, a coaching staff, and a team that has bought in to winning RIGHT NOW, and if this offense continues to get better, now with some help in the WR room, then why can’t this team go all the way? It feels weird saying that in the post-Big-Ben-era, but I think this is as good a chance as we’ve had in a LONG time. I know this much….this week’s game against the Washington Commanders is going to reveal the truth about this team. Are we a real threat? I think we are.
Follow me on twitter/x: @jay_newm
Subscribe to receive email updates about new posts and follow me on socials!
