Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan was a busy guy on Tuesday ahead of the NFL trade deadline. Khan pulled off two trades bringing in wide receiver Mike Williams and outside linebacker Preston Smith. Based on the compensation and salary cap information, these were trades that improved the roster without a huge investment.
This week the Steelers go on the road to take on the Washington Commanders and while we don’t expect a huge impact from Williams or Smith on Sunday, here is what we consider the best-case scenario for both players as the season goes on.
For Williams, his ability to win contested catches and work deep fits perfectly with what the Steelers are doing on offense with Russell Wilson at quarterback. He and George Pickens can become a dynamic duo downfield and really free up the run game while added more explosive plays in the passing game.
As for Smith, he’s more about depth. We expect Williams to eventually be the team’s No. 2 wide receiver on the outside but Smith is in line to be a very highly paid No. 4 edge rusher. We are hopeful this doesn’t become a Melvin Ingram situation and Smith is OK with a limited role behind Either T.J. Watt or Alex Highsmith. Until Nick Herbig is 100 percent, Smith could see a larger role so he might be pressed into service quicker than Williams.
Overall, we expect both of these players to improve this team. We give both of these trades and can’t wait to see what they bring once they are up to speed in the system.
