PITTSBURGH -- It was a long time coming.
By adding wide receiver Mike Williams from the New York Jets at the trade deadline for a 2025 fifth-rounder, the Pittsburgh Steelers ended their months-long search for a wide receiver by shoring up the position group with a veteran pass catcher who not only complements the existing pass catchers on the roster, but one who also possesses a skillset that plays to the strengths of quarterback Russell Wilson.
Historically, the Steelers have prioritized drafting and developing homegrown talent, but their activity at the trade deadline in not only acquiring Williams, but also landing Green Bay Packers pass rusher Preston Smith, coupled with their moves in March to revamp their quarterback room, signals the organization is comfortable with bucking tradition to end a drought of playoff wins that extends back to 2016.
"We work the trade market not only at that position but all positions," coach Mike Tomlin said less than two hours before acquiring Williams. "I think every team does, particularly those of us that are trying to lean in as the road gets narrow.
"... I just think that's normal, prudent business for us if you're trying to be a developing world championship outfit."
Coming off a left ACL tear, Williams, 30, had a slow start to the 2024 season with just 12 catches on 21 targets for 166 yards in nine games with the Jets. But at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds with a knack for ripping down jump balls and stretching the field as a deep, vertical threat, Williams could represent the missing piece for a passing offense on the rise under Wilson.
Since entering the league in 2017, he is one of the best receivers in securing contested catches. He leads the league with 1,451 receiving yards on tight throws in that span, and his 82 receptions on such throws are tied for the second-most behind retired receiver DeVante Parker's 88, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
As it turns out, Williams' new quarterback is pretty good at throwing into tight windows. Since NFL Next Gen Stats began tracking in 2016, Wilson's 48 passing touchdowns on tight-window throws are tied with Aaron Rodgers for the most in the league in that span. In two games with the Steelers, Wilson completed 4-of-11 tight-window attempts for 112 yards and a touchdown to George Pickens. During that two-week stretch, Wilson's 112 yards on tight-window throws led all quarterbacks.
And though Williams was among the least productive receivers in the league during his short stint in New York -- 77th in yards per route (.80) and 84th in target percentage (10%) -- he still averaged 13.8 yards per reception, good for 30th among 86 receivers who've run at least 150 routes this season. Williams' yards per reception ranks fourth on the Steelers behind Calvin Austin III (18.4), Pickens (15.7) and Scotty Miller (15.5), though Miller has just two receptions this season.
Because of those factors, this trade is less an indictment of the performance from the Steelers' existing wide receivers, and more of an opportunity to round out the group by adding a receiver with a different style and body type without giving up premium draft capital or being tied to a long-term commitment. Williams, who had a free agent visit scheduled with the Steelers prior to signing with the Jets over the summer, is slated to be a free agent after the season. As part of the deal, the Steelers agreed to take on the rest of Williams' 2024 salary, but that figure is only $627,500 because most of his one-year, $10 million deal was paid up front by the Jets in a signing bonus.
Adding Williams doesn't have the same impact on the offense as landing a player like Brandon Aiyuk or Davante Adams, both of whom the Steelers pursued, but Wilson's ability to spread the ball around in his two starts reduced the need for adding a top-tier receiver.
Though Pickens is the only Steelers receiver with at least 300 receiving yards, Austin and Van Jefferson scored touchdowns in wins against the Jets and Giants. Each player also recorded a 36-yard catch in that two-game span.
"We're all competitors, we're going to always bank on us regardless," Austin said after scoring two touchdowns against the Jets. "So we always knew what we were capable of inside our receiver room. ... Ever since OTAs, it's always been, block out the outside noise and do what we do because in moments like this there ain't a lot of talk."
Tomlin, too, was complimentary of his wide receiver depth prior to trading for Williams on Tuesday.
"When called upon, they're capable of delivering," he said. "And I just think with each passing week ... there'll be more opportunities to display that, particularly as people work schematically to minimize George, it creates one-on-one [opportunities] for others."
Williams now has a chance to be the latest beneficiary of those opportunities, and if he can return to the form he reached with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he had two 1,000-yard seasons and led the league averaging 20.4 yards per reception in 2019, he could create opportunities for Pickens, too.
Information from ESPN Research was used in this story.