Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers News
Steelers WR Mike Williams Not Worried About Limited Role: ‘I Mean, We Winning’
Wide receiver Mike Williams' role isn't growing as fast as some would like, but he's happy as long as the Steelers keep winning.
PITTSBURGH — Steelers wide receiver Mike Williams went from catching the game-winning touchdown in Week 10 to not receiving a single target in Week 11. It’s not the role many imagined he would have two games into his Steelers career, but he is happy as long as they keep winning.
“For me, just do your assignment. That’s the main thing. You watch the film. You do your assignment. You be where you need to be,” Williams said. “I mean, we winning, so that’s all that matters at this point.”
It’s not difficult to understand why Williams is so happy in Pittsburgh, despite his limited role. His former team, the New York Jets, are currently sitting in third place in the AFC East with a 3-8 record. Meanwhile, his new team is in first place in the AFC North at 8-2.
That alone is likely contributing to Williams big smile, but that doesn’t mean his role won’t continue to grow, either. In fact, it already has. From his Steelers debut to last week, Williams’ snap percentage increased from 12 percent (nine plays) to 32 percent (25 plays).
Head coach Mike Tomlin hinted Williams’ snaps should only keep going up, too.
RELATED: Steelers HC Mike Tomlin Likes Trajectory of WR Mike Williams
In the meantime, Williams is solely focused on continuing to learn the offense so that when his number is called, he can make another big play just as he did in his debut.
“Just being a professional,” Williams said. “That’s the main thing. Watching film, studying, getting an extra couple throws with the quarterbacks and just staying on top of things.”
It remains to be seen how long it will take for Williams to have a bigger role in the offense, but it’s unlikely to change much on a short week with a meeting with the Cleveland Browns on “Thursday Night Football.”
That doesn’t mean Williams’ new teammates aren’t doing everything they can to get him up to speed, though. Williams credits his early success to the work he and quarterback Russell Wilson have already put in together.
“He’s a tremendous leader,” Williams said. “It’s just staying on the same page and just getting the throws in, just making it routine things.”
Maybe that extra work will begin to pay off on Thursday night.
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