Pittsburgh Review

The Pittsburgh Steelers have acquired wide receiver Mike Williams from the New York Jets through a trade, just before the NFL's trade deadline. Williams, known for his ability to stretch the field, stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 218 pounds. Throughout his eight-year career, he has averaged 15.5 yards per reception on 309 catches, including leading the league with an average of 20.4 yards per catch in 2019 with the Chargers.

This season marked Williams' first with the Jets, where he recorded 12 receptions for 166 yards but did not score any touchdowns. Originally drafted seventh overall by the Chargers in the 2017 NFL Draft from Clemson University, Williams has achieved two seasons surpassing 1,000 receiving yards, most recently in 2021 when he also had a personal best of 76 receptions.

Injury challenges impacted his performance in subsequent seasons; a knee injury limited him to just three games in 2023 after achieving 895 yards on 63 receptions over 13 games in the previous year.

Williams' journey to Pittsburgh follows earlier interest from the Steelers during his free agency period after being released by Los Angeles as part of cost-cutting efforts. However, Williams opted to sign with New York after visiting them ahead of a planned visit to Pittsburgh.

According to Dale Lolley, co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio: "With the Steelers, Williams gives the team another outside-the-numbers receiver to pair with budding star George Pickens who can challenge defenses down the field."

Despite being slowed by a knee injury early this season, Williams is now over a year past that issue and expected to take on a larger role with Pittsburgh. His opportunities were limited after New York acquired Devante Adams from Las Vegas Raiders three weeks ago.

Williams had one reception during his first two weeks but improved to nine catches for 135 yards across three games before becoming New York's third-choice receiver behind Adams.

The addition of Williams allows veteran Van Jefferson more opportunities playing inside positions while continuing alongside George Pickens externally—balancing between slot play or outside coverage based on needs identified throughout Jefferson’s career experience prior joining Steelers roster.