Tag: Deadline

WR Mike Williams feels ready to make big time plays for Pittsburgh

WR Mike Williams let Pittsburgh fans know exactly who he is and what he’s capable of—a playmaker who will earn the right to be on the field.

The Pittsburgh Steelers winning culture has clearly resonated with WR Mike Williams, who has shown nothing less than the heart of a champion since his arrival.

In an article titled “Week 10 Blog: Focus still on stopping the run” on the Steelers’ official website, fans can find Williams’ comments about what he brings to the Steel City, stating: “I’m a playmaker. I want to make plays. I want to get the ops. I’m going to go out and work and show that I deserve to be on the field.”

Williams’ passion and desire are completely understandable, as the WR seemingly fell out of favor with Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, which Williams summarized as the beginning of the end of his time in New York.

Will Steelers fans be able to witness the Russell Wilson-Williams combination begin as early as Week 10’s game against the 7-2 Washington Commanders? Fans can look forward to this matchup, which can only be described as a battle of the behemoths, on November 10th at 1:00 PM EST.

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Is Preston Smith the missing piece Pittsburgh has been searching for?

Preston Smith, the newly acquired Steelers’ OLB at the 2024 trade deadline, could be the difference maker Pittsburgh has been looking for.

The true difference maker from the trade deadline acquisitions for the Pittsburgh Steelers may be the second trade the team made—for none other than former Packers’ OLB Preston Smith.

The 31-year-old Smith provides Pittsburgh with a tremendous amount of starting experience off the edge, in which he has accumulated 68.5 career sacks in 155 games played.  He only cost the Steelers a 2025-seventh round draft pick.

After losing OLB Alex Highsmith to injury in Week 3, the team lost two straight contests to the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys in Weeks 4 and 5, respectively. While backup OLB Nick Herbig filled in admirably, he too would suffer an injury.

While Highsmith would eventually return to Pittsburgh in Week 7, the Steelers now have a very capable starter in Smith, who is relishing his opportunity to sack opposing quarterbacks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be gearing up for a deep playoff run, focusing on keeping their defensive line loaded and healthy, with elite players like T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig, Preston Smith, Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton, and Larry Ogunjobi ready to wreck opposing offenses.

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Can Calvin Austin fend off the newly acquired Mike Williams for WR2?

The Steelers’ acquisition of WR Mike Williams from the Jets complicated Calvin Austin’s breakout and bid for WR2.

2024 has truly been one of the most exciting times to be a Pittsburgh Steelers fan! From acquiring prominent players in free agency to breaking the Steel City norm with several huge trades, Pittsburgh fans have every reason to love what they’re seeing from their team and the Steelers front office.

However, one Steelers WR, who seemingly broke out in the team’s Week 8 victory, may need to continue his dominance to fend off the newly acquired WR Mike Williams.

WR Calvin Austin III tore through the New York Giants’ secondary and special teams in Week 8, recording 54 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown on just three receptions, as well as shifting the momentum for his team with a 73-yard punt return touchdown.

After his two-touchdown night, fans assumed Austin could step in as the team’s WR2 moving forward. However, when the New York Jets traded Williams to Pittsburgh, it complicated matters for Austin’s offensive involvement.

Can Austin coexist with Williams as potential WR2-A and WR2-B? Or will Mike Tomlin have another “good” problem on his hands with yet another elite positional battle?

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Steelers have toughest remaining Week 10-18 schedule, per PFF

According to Pro Football Focus, the Pittsburgh Steelers have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL from Weeks 10 to 18.

After acquiring WR Mike Williams from the New York Jets and OLB Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers at the trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Steelers quickly shift their focus back onto their postseason aspirations.  Pittsburgh needed all the help it could get, however, as the team heads into what is shaping up to be an extremely difficult second half of the 2024 season.

Most Pittsburgh fans would shudder at the idea of hearing that their team would need to go head-to-head with what seems like five playoff contenders in nine weeks, and it appears the infamous and always polarizing Pro Football Focus would agree with them.

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PFF is correct in their assessment, as with nine tough matchups remaining, the Steelers will face the 7-2 Washington Commanders, the 6-3 Baltimore Ravens twice, the 4-5 Cincinnati Bengals twice, the 2-7 Cleveland Browns twice, the 6-2 Philadelphia Eagles, and the undefeated 8-0 Kansas City Chiefs.

Can the newly upgraded Pittsburgh Steelers succeed in taking on this seemingly impossible second half gauntlet, or will the team come crashing back down to reality after an impressive first half start to the 2024 season?

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Cordarrelle Patterson has hilarious reaction to WR Mike Williams trade

RB Cordarrelle Patterson, the Steelers’ number one recruiter, had an amazing reaction to the Mike Williams trade news.

While the Steelers’ General Manager Omar Khan pulled off an unbelievable heist at the trade deadline, acquiring wide receiver and outside linebacker help for the team, he doesn’t deserve all the credit. One man has spent time and energy, week in and week out, recruiting receivers to play for the Steel City.

This would be none other than the Steelers’ RB Cordarrelle Patterson, who had recently attempted to recruit WR Davante Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders, who ended up with the New York Jets, and D.K. Metcalf, who ultimately remained with his Seattle Seahawks, and last but surely not least, the former New York Jet and newly acquired Steelers’ WR Mike Williams.

Patterson, realizing he had hit a homerun for the Steel City, jokingly had this to say on social media.

While Steelers fans understand how little impact Patterson truly had on this trade unfolding, as most of the credit belongs to the team’s front office, his witty humor and constant barrage of recruitment tactics brought laughter to Pittsburgh fans throughout the 2024 season.

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Steelers fans react to OLB Preston Smith trade

Former Packers’ OLB Preston Smith’s unexpected trade to the Steelers adds valuable depth to the defense, and was surprising to fans alike.

One of the most underrated acquisitions at the 2024 NFL trade deadline was OLB Preston Smith being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It had been reported in recent days that while wide receiver was a major area of concern for the Steel City, the team could prioritize trading for edge rusher depth.

Much to the surprise of absolutely no one, the team did, in fact, acquire a wide receiver at the deadline, Mike Williams from the New York Jets, but also acquired defensive depth from the Green Bay Packers in the 31-year-old Smith, who should plug in nicely behind outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

While fans of the Black and Gold have been clamoring for their team to make a WR trade for months, Smith was a welcomed surprise. Here are some of the best reactions to Pittsburgh trading a 2025 seventh-round draft pick for the Green Bay Packers’ OLB Preston Smith.

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Trade Deadline: Grading the Steelers acquisition of OLB Preston Smith

Steelers trade a 2025 7th-round pick for Preston Smith, adding veteran power to their defense. How does this move grade out?

Teams throughout the NFL better watch out; there’s a new terrifying trio of edge rushers coming to sack their quarterback. Steelers’ outside linebackers T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and the newly acquired Preston Smith form arguably the greatest edge-rushing unit in the NFL today.

Smith was recently acquired at the 2024 NFL trade deadline when the Pittsburgh Steelers traded a 2025 seventh-round draft pick to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for his talents in the Steel City.

Pittsburgh General Manager Omar Khan had recently helped facilitate a trade to acquire WR Mike Williams from the New York Jets, which received a solid B grade here at Steelers Wire. But what about the acquisition of Smith?

The 31-year-old former Packers OLB provides quality starting experience behind Watt and Highsmith, as Smith has started 138 games since entering the league in 2015. Smith has accumulated 68.5 sacks over this period and comes to Pittsburgh in what can only be described as a bargain sale in Green Bay.

For only a 2025 seventh-round draft pick given up for Smith, Khan and the Steelers’ front office receive an A+ grade for the trade.

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New York Jets’ QB Aaron Rodgers reacts to WR Mike Williams trade

While appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, New York Jets’ QB Aaron Rodgers reacts live to the news of WR Mike Williams trade to Pittsburgh.

Former Indianapolis Colts’ All-Pro punter Pat McAfee brought on his guest, New York Jets’ QB Aaron Rodgers, in the truly the right place and time, as Rodgers was able to react live to insider Adam Schefter’s report that the Pittsburgh Steelers acquiring his former Jets’ teammate, WR Mike Williams, via trade.

McAfee asked Rodgers for his intitial reaction and what Williams meant to the 2024 New York Jets’ team.  While Rodgers could have taken this opportunity to make Williams position on the team seem replaceable, Rodgers took the opportunity to relate with Williams’ struggles with injuries and amazing recovery, stating that “I felt like he was getting better throughout the early part of the season.  I feel like his speed was getting better.  That’s a tough injury, I had that injury.”

The injury Rodgers referenced is one in which Williams tore his ACL during his 2023 season with the Los Angeles Chargers.

While Williams would surely appreciate the kind words from his former QB on the Jets, he is no doubt looking forward to getting the opportunity to show the NFL exactly what he is capable of with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.

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Report: Steelers trading for New York Jets’ WR Mike Williams

The Pittsburgh Steelers are acquiring WR Mike Williams from the Jets for a 2025 5th-round pick.

It appears Steelers RB Cordarrelle Patterson‘s fantastic recruiting has paid dividends for Pittsburgh, as the team has finally acquired their WR2.

Insider Adam Schefter reported on Tuesday afternoon that Pittsburgh would be acquiring WR Mike Williams from the New York Jets in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round draft selection, less than a few hours from the 4:00 PM EST trade deadline.

Williams, throughout his eight-year career, has 4,972 receiving yards on 321 receptions and 31 receiving touchdowns. He is most known for his seven seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, and his best statistical season with the team in 2021—1,146 receiving yards, 76 receptions, and nine touchdowns.

The newly acquired Steelers WR has struggled to stay healthy, missing 16 games combined in 2022 and 2023. However, Williams seems revitalized and looking to make an impact on the Pittsburgh Steelers offense.

It remains to be seen how quickly Williams can get acclimated to the Steelers’ offensive scheme, but once he and QB Russell Wilson are on the same page, secondaries around the NFL better prepare to be cooked.

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Here’s what the Saints got from trading Marshon Lattimore

Here’s what the Saints got from their trade for Marshon Lattimore. The Commanders sent back multiple draft picks, including one of the Saints’ own:

Marshon Lattimore is on his way to the Washington Commanders after the New Orleans Saints cut a deal to trade the former four-time Pro Bowl cornerback. Was it worth it? What did they get back in the trade? Here’s what we know.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that the Saints packaged a fifth-round pick with Lattimore to get back picks in the third, fourth, and sixth rounds. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed that the sixth rounder is the same pick New Orleans traded to Washington earlier this year, which they spent to acquire defensive tackle John Ridgeway III (plus a conditional seventh rounder).

But we’re still waiting for word on the third-round pick. If it’s Washington’s own choice, that is projected to fall at No. 93 overall. If it’s the third rounder the Commanders got from the Miami Dolphins (through the Philadelphia Eagles), that would slot in at No. 72 overall. That’s a massive swing, and getting the Commanders pick instead of the Dolphins choice would be significantly worse for New Orleans.

What about the salary cap? Lattimore restructured his deal earlier this year so the cap savings in 2024 are minimal —  about $605,000 in remaining salary  to be paid out in game checks each week. Lattimore will also count against  the 2025 salary cap by a staggering $31.6 million, but he’s off the books for good starting in 2026.

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