It seems like only yesterday that the Steelers traded receiver Diontae Johnson to Carolina for cornerback Donte Jackson.

Actually, it was in March, and it seems like it was about a decade ago. Why? It jumpstarted never-ending trade speculation that linked every receiver with a contract dispute, bad team or grudge to Pittsburgh.

The speculation started with the 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk and never quite subsided until he signed a new deal with his first and only team. However, several other receivers became part of the rumor mill, as reporters and wannabe reporters treated opposing teams and their rosters like folks who own homes that aren’t on the market. In other words, “Come on, bruh. Everyone has a price, bruh.”

One decent receiver after another switched teams until hours before Tuesday’s deadline when Steelers general manager Omar Khan finally pulled the trigger on a deal when he sent a fifth-round pick to the Jets in exchange for veteran Mike Williams.

Is Williams a good get? I’d say he’s a rich man’s Van Jefferson. What I mean is his resume is clearly better than Jefferson’s, stats-wise, but his past few years are kinda like Jefferson’s, stats-wise. Sure, the Jefferson part can be attributed to the torn ACL Williams suffered a year ago with the Chargers, his original team that selected him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. You may also cite the fact that the Jets, the team Williams signed a one-year deal to play for in 2024, recently acquired Davonte Adams (another Steelers trade “target”), thus rendering the 30-year-old veteran more expendable.

At any rate, Williams does make the Steelers receiver room better on paper. He should step right in and be the clear No. 2 alongside George Pickens as the No. 1. He should theoretically take some of the heat off of Pickens. Also, Jefferson may now have a more suitable role as the team’s No. 3 or No. 4 receiver. Calvin Austin has become such a weapon this season, particularly as of late, that he might actually be the No. 3 receiver and a much more viable target. It’s kind of like a starting pitching staff in Major League Baseball. Everyone outside of Pickens should now have a role that fits him better.

The most important piece of the Steelers 2024 puzzle (at least so far) was the emergence of Russell Wilson as the Steelers’ starting quarterback over the final two weeks before the bye.

But the Steelers still needed a receiver to get them through the final nine games of the 2024 campaign.

The trade for Williams wasn’t earth-shattering, but you certainly feel better about the Steelers receiving corps today than you did yesterday.

Now, it’s time for the trade speculation to end and the march toward an AFC North title to begin.