The Commanders traded for cornerback Marshon Lattimore before the trade deadline, but he won’t be playing today against the Steelers.
On the other hand, the Steelers brought in receiver Mike Williams and edge rusher Preston Smith on the final day of the trade period. Both are expected to play today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Williams is the more interesting addition of the two. The Steelers have been looking for a stronger No. 2 receiver to complement George Pickens, with all due respect to Van Jefferson. Williams could immediately fill that role.
As for the concerns about Williams not connecting with Aaron Rodgers in New York, it’s not fair to blame all of that on Williams. Or even most of it.
Rodgers can be difficult. He has strong opinions and didn’t trust Williams. He even criticized Williams publicly for running the wrong route on the interception that sealed the game against the Bills.
Say what you will about Russell Wilson, but he would never publicly call out a teammate. And he would quickly build trust with Williams.
Wilson trusts his receivers. He doesn’t get too caught up in things like completion percentage or touchdown-to-interception ratios (like some quarterbacks). He’s willing to take chances and throw the ball to his receivers, even when they’re covered.
That’s been a key difference in the Pittsburgh passing game with Williams. He trusts his receivers, like throwing to Pickens even when he’s tightly covered. He’ll do the same with Williams.
The Steelers will be a better team because of this trust.
