Steelers' Mike Tomlin Absolutely Believes Mike Williams Will Breakout Soon

Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been patiently waiting to see midseason acquisition Mike Williams on the field playing meaningful snaps. Pittsburgh acquired Williams right before the NFL's trade deadline, and the move was expected to help the offense relatively quickly. Unfortunately for fans, Williams had barely sniffed the field and only had one target through his first four games with the Steelers, but he was able to make a handful of plays during the Week 14 win over the Cleveland Browns. 

George Pickens was ruled out of the game against the Browns ahead of kickoff due to a hamstring injury, which opened the door for Williams to see more opportunities in the passing game. Pickens' hamstring injury is likely to keep him out of the next game against the Philadelphia Eagles, which means the Steelers will be relying on Williams once again. Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media on Tuesday, and he was asked about whether or not Williams has the ability to step up in the absence of Pickens.

"No question," Tomlin said. "I felt like he did last week. As I mentioned last week in this setting, I view it only as a matter of time before his presence gets felt in a more consistent way in-stadium. Practice has been like that for a number of weeks, and usually when you see people making plays in practice, it's a precursor to them making plays in-stadium. George available or not, I expect the overall trajectory of his performance and inclusion to be on the incline."

When Tomlin spoke to the media ahead of Pittsburgh's Week 14 matchup with Cleveland, he told the group that it was only a matter of time until Williams begins to see the field more and make an impact. Tomlin made these comments before Pickens suffered his hamstring injury, so it should be inspiring for fans to know that the team expected Williams to get more involved, whether Pickens was in the lineup or not.

Williams had a strong introduction to the Steelers during his first game with the team back in Week 10 when Pittsburgh beat the Washington Commanders. Williams caught the game-winning touchdown near the end of the fourth quarter while filling in for a banged up Calvin Austin III. Other than that catch, Williams did next to nothing until Week 14. From Week 11 through Week 13, Williams didn't see a single target and played sparingly, but in Week 14, he caught three passes for 36 yards.

The veteran wide receiver still played sparingly in Week 14 as he was on the field for less than 30 percent of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps, but that should change moving forward according to Tomlin's comments. He expects all factors of Williams' play to be on the incline going forward, which should be a positive trend as the team prepares to take on a tough last stretch of the regular season.

Steelers' Mike Williams Has Some Similarities To George Pickens

Williams can fill the void of Pickens decently well, as the veteran wide receiver is also a good deep-ball threat. Pickens will certainly missed while he deals with his hamstring injury, but Williams' performance against Cleveland was inspiring for fans moving forward. The best play Williams made was hauling in a one-handed pass down the sideline, which was very Pickens-esque.

Fans should expect to see Williams on the field for the majority of the offensive snaps when the Steelers take on Philadelphia in Week 15. The Eagles have a great defense, so it will be a great challenge to find success as an offense, but Williams should be able to show why the Steelers decided to acquire him.

What do you think of Tomlin's comments? Let us know in the comments below!

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