Williams and Smith trades are insurance policies with high upside for the Steelers
The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, with the Pittsburgh Steelers being uncharacteristically busy on the final day of the trade window. Seriously, these aren’t your father’s Steelers under general manager Omar Khan, who is making sure the team has the pieces it needs for a playoff run.
Khan had reportedly set his sights on getting a veteran wide receiver since the onset of the league year. After rumored interest in players such as Brandon Aiyuk, D.K. Metcalf, Courtland Sutton, Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, and Christian Kirk fell through, Pittsburgh finally gets its man, eight-year pro Mike Williams, formerly of the Chargers and Jets.
Coincidentally Williams and the Steelers had interest going back to the start of the free agency period, where the receiver met with the team, but opted to join the New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers. Williams would sign for a healthy one-year, $15 million with New York, appearing in nine games but failing to gain traction with Nathaniel Hackett‘s offense. The Jets underperformed so poorly that Hackett lost his play-calling duties while their head coach, Robert Saleh, was fired last month.
The turmoil in New York, currently 3-6 on the season, stems from Rodgers and his 7 interceptions, which could be on pace for the most he’s had in a single season his entire career. Rodgers stated on the Pat McAfee show that Williams was returning from injury and hinted that he may not be the same player. Speculation that Williams was on the trade block, despite being under a one-year deal, warmed up when the Jets traded for Raiders receiver (and Rodgers favorite) Davante Adams. With Garrett Wilson and Allen Lazard too, the receiver room in New York was crowded with Williams the odd man forced out.
Williams has appeared in all nine games for the Jets this season, catching 12 passes for 166 yards. He has not found the endzone but has moved the chains on nine of those twelve receptions.
Because rookie Roman Wilson was placed on IR, and has been unable to play meaningful snaps this season, adding a large-bodied big-play veteran threat is something the team desperately needed and the Williams trade fits the bill. Pittsburgh will owe Williams around $2 million of his remaining contract over the final nine games, making his addition a bargain move, with the Jets receiving the lower of the two Steelers fifth-round picks in exchange.
The hope is that Williams, a former first-round pick, is a better fit in Pittsburgh’s offense, where Russell Wilson has been delivering deep passes since being reinstalled as the starter two games ago. The former Jet offers the Steelers something the rest of their receiver corps doesn’t have: a 6’4″ target who can take the top off of a defense: Williams has a career average of 15.5 yards per play.
While injuries have been a concern over the years, the Steelers won’t have to rely solely on the 30-year-old player to make everything happen. The trade intends to help free up other receiving threats, such as George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth. Putting Williams on the field forces opposing defenses to game plan if only for the danger he poses to score on any play.
The threat of Williams in the passing game should also benefit younger receivers, such as Calvin Austin, who has recently been making splash plays. He should also help keep additional players out of the box, opening opportunities for the Steelers run game.
Typically, the Steelers would make one move and that’s it, but they weren’t done with the Williams deal. Khan would also make a late day trade for Green Bay Packers pass rusher Preston Smith. The soon-to-be 32-year-old is a ten-year NFL veteran with 68.5 sacks in his illustrious career.
Some may question why the Packers let Smith go so easily, as they only netted a seventh round pick in exchange for Smith. Usually, playoff caliber teams don’t trade away assets, but this could be a mistake for Green Bay in the long run that benefits the Steelers greatly.
Smith will join T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith as their backup, and will not be relied upon to shoulder the load in the Steel City. That’s one of the reasons Smith’s production appears to be lower than in season’s past, where in the last two years he’s had at least 8 sacks in each season. In 2024, especially since October, Smith has seen his snap totals decline to half of less per game.
Despite playing fewer reps, Smith has 2.5 sacks and 4 quarterback hits on the season.
Smith will play outside linebacker in the Steelers 3-4, an area that became a depth concern with Alex Highsmith and then Nick Herbig were both injured earlier in the season. The Steelers were forced to overplay T.J. Watt and trot out unknown and unproven talents such as Jeremiah Moon, in relief.
We’ve seen what not only happens this year when the outside linebackers group gets thin, but also in years past. Smith will help instantly against the run and provide a pass rush as necessary when Watt or Highsmith goes to the sidelines to catch a blow. In addition, Herbig is coming off of an injury that may limit his reps right after the bye week, helping him to heal back to 100%.
Both trades provide insurance policies as the Steelers get serious about playing deep into the season and not only winning the AFC North, but making a playoff push as a contender.
