The 2024 NFL trade deadline has come and gone. There was no shortage of rumors leading up to yesterday, most of which turned out to be just that. At the end of the day, Omar Khan could only manage two minor deals. The Steelers acquired both wide receiver Mike Williams, and edge rusher Preston Smith. The best way to describe the Steelers trade deadline moves is……….underwhelming.
What happened yesterday was a culmination of failures that dates back to March when the team traded Diontae Johnson. That deal left the team with a giant sized hole at the wide receiver two position. Since then there have been a long list of near misses, and bad breaks when it comes to Khan’s attempt at filling that position. The Brandon Aiyuk saga went on for what felt like months. Only for him to re-sign in San Francisco. Then the attention turned to Davante Adams. That didn’t work either as he clearly preferred to be reunited with Aaron Rogers. Only a few days ago it was floated that the Steelers just about had a deal done for Christian Kirk before his injury put him out for the season.
So when the team ultimately settled for Mike Williams as their answer for the wide receiver two position, you’ll have to excuse us for being underwhelmed. This is after all a thirty year old receiver coming off major knee surgery. Williams has not been relevant in the NFL since 2021. In fact after nine games playing with Aaron Rogers, Williams has only managed 27 yards more than Van Jefferson. You could make the very real argument the Steelers may have actually gotten worse at the position given that Jefferson is a far more effective blocker in the run game.
What saves the day for Omar Khan is the acquisition of Preston Smith. This gives the Steelers a very solid four man rotation at edge going forward. Used correctly, this should keep superstar TJ Watt fresh for any potential post season play. We emphasize “used correctly” because we know the tendency of Mike Tomlin to grind his stars into the ground in the past. Having said that, this should bolster the defense for the second half. By the looks of it, this team will be relying heavily on this unit for any type of success going forward.
At the end of the day, those who say “what did you expect” are absolutely right. Waiting until the last possible minute to fill a major need turned out pretty much as expected. In a vacuum the Steelers trade deadline could be considered fairly successful. But when you consider the dire need for another receiver it’s hard to come away impressed. We’ve only been hammering away at the need for an improved wide receiver room for six months now. Are the Steelers one wide receiver away?.
Mike Williams isn’t the guy to move the needle. The failure to secure a true wide receiver two could ultimately cost this team in the post season. An over reliance on the defense has never worked for this team in the past under Tomlin. Hard to see it working out any different in 2024.