PITTSBURGH–The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for battle with the Baltimore Ravens after a thrilling victory against the Washington Commanders. Among the plays made in this game, new acquisition Mike Williams caught the game-winning 32-yard touchdown. Russell Wilson recently expressed his belief in his receivers.
On Thursday, local reporters asked Wilson about the upcoming matchup against the Ravens. Though he acknowledged the Ravens’ defense has playmakers, he is confident they can go toe-to-toe with Baltimore.
“Yeah, I think that we can definitely score points, and we can do some special things. We’ve got a great defense, we trust each other as a team and everything else. We’ve just got to play one play at a time.” Wilson said on the outlook of the Steelers matching up against Baltimore.
At the trade deadline, the Steelers acquired wide receiver Mike Williams from the New York Jets. After making the play of the game Sunday, Wilson was asked about Williams’ progress in getting acclimated to the offense.
“Yeah, Mike [Williams] has been great. He’s smart, he’s on it, he’s a pro. Got a lot of great guys around them. Just love that room, all the hard work they put in every day is really special. So Mike’s a great addition for us.” Wilson told reporters.
This isn’t the first time Wilson expressed his excitement over not just Williams, but his entire receivers room. In a recent interview with Hannah Storm of ESPN, he highlighted the “special gifts” of his wide receivers room.
“I think that we have a lot of talent in that position now … Obviously Van Jefferson has done an amazing job, you know, his ability to make great catches so far … We got some guys that have played some big football. You know guys like Scotty Miller who caught a big go [balls] for Tom Brady.” Wilson told Storm of his receivers. Wilson even sees similarities in his current room from his previous stops.
“Calvin Austin, I mean, he reminds me of Tyler Lockett a lot … both similar personalities. Unbelievable dudes. Humble, but just work their tails off every day.” Wilson said glowingly of Austin. Of course, his leading receiver was a simple description.
“George Pickens is a freak of nature.” Wilson said of Pickens.
In his interview with Storm, there’s one quote that stood out among the rest when talking about his receivers room as a whole.
“They got some special gifts.” Wilson said of his receivers.
Many have written off this wide receiver room even with the acquisition of Mike Williams. While they may not be the group that “Young Money” receivers of Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, and Mike Wallace, they are a group Wilson believes in that works hard each day. It also helps to have a Super Bowl-winning quarterback to help elevate their game.
Aaron Becker provided reporting from Pittsburgh.