Steelers Released Veteran Player After Making Two Trades

Pittsburgh moved on from Rodney Williams after acquiring Mike Williams and Preston Smith

The Pittsburgh Steelers had an exciting day of work before the 2024 NFL trade deadline struck, as they swung a pair of deals to land wide receiver Mike Williams and defensive lineman Preston Smith to aid the team amid their unexpected 6-2 start to the season.

Unfortunately, when a team adds players to their roster, that means they have let other players go in corresponding roster moves. And one guy who got the short end of the stick was veteran tight end Rodney Williams.

After going undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, Williams latched on with the Steelers after he got released by the Denver Broncos. He's mainly been a special teams player for Pittsburgh over the past two seasons, and while he's played in 19 total games during that time, the team opted to release him after making their two big trades.

Via Tom Pelissero: 

"After acquiring two veterans via trade at the deadline, the Steelers are waiving TE Rodney Williams, per source."

Williams only recorded one tackle this season after racking up six last season, and with Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, and MyCole Pruitt also on the tight end depth chart, the Steelers decided he was expendable.

Williams could return to Pittsburgh on their practice squad, but only if he doesn't get picked up by another team first. And if there's a squad that feels their special teams units could use a boost, they could end up trying to scoop up Williams now that he's no longer on the Steelers roster.

Adding talented players in Mike Williams and Smith is a win for the Steelers, but it forced them to make this tough move involving their veteran tight end. As a result, it will be worth keeping tabs on him over the next day or so, as his stint away from the team could ultimately be short lived if he ends up returning to their practice squad.