I believe Mike Tomlin when he says new linebacker Avery Williamson was acquired from the New York Jets to be a complementary part of the inside linebacker rotation.
For now.
Maybe the next three weeks or so?
But by Thanksgiving night, I’ll bet a drumstick Williamson is getting the majority of the snaps at inside linebacker with Vince Williams against the Baltimore Ravens.
Although that’s not how Mike Tomlin wanted to portray it during his weekly Tuesday news conference.
“From a long-term standpoint, we have a vision of him being a third inside linebacker,” Tomlin said. “A guy that’s position flexible. A guy that is capable of supporting Robert (Spillane) and Vince (Williams) and being available if anything should happen to either.”
Honestly, Tomlin can’t say much more than that. It sends an awful message to his locker room if a new guy is brought in immediately to replace Spillane. Especially after Spillane has been better than expected these last two weeks replacing injured starter Devin Bush.
It could be emotionally deflating to the linebacker room. Plus, a coaching decision like that pulls the plug on enthusiasm and hope for guys at the bottom of the roster, guys who bust their backsides on the practice squad and special teams in the hope of starting.
That said, Spillane could be a Johan Hedberg. A Jeff Zatkoff. A Tommy Maddox or a Devlin Hodges — an off-the-radar reserve who is thrust into action because of injury and performs above expectation, then water finds its level after a certain amount of exposure.
In case that happens, that’s why the Steelers got Williamson in a trade that was announced Monday.
If Williamson plays at all Sunday against Dallas, it’ll be very limited. Because of the coronavirus-protocol restrictions, Tomlin said the team will be working remotely with him through Saturday.
Blending in Williamson minimally against the Cowboys, then a bit more during games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars, should allow enough time to get the sixth-year veteran acclimated to the scheme. Perhaps by that time he’ll show whether he’s worth more snaps per game than Spillane in time for the Week 11 Ravens rematch at Heinz Field.
My guess is that’s the real “long-term standpoint” plan.
Otherwise, the organization has essentially traded to replace Ulysees Gilbert III. You don’t trade to replace Ulysees Gilbert III. You grab someone off the waiver wire or someone else’s practice squad.
Also, Tomlin seems to have faith, trust and interest in Williamson, thanks to some history.
“I met Avery (Williamson) at Bud Dupree’s Pro Day (at Kentucky) after his rookie year,” Tomlin said. “There was a lot of downtime during that day, and we kind of gravitated toward one another. His passion for football comes through in general conversation. He’s a football lover. He’s a football junkie. I’ve followed him throughout the course of his career because of that. In the early stages of his career, he played down in Tennessee (with the Titans) and played in a system that was very similar to ours not only in terms of how it was constructed but the language itself.”
Not to mention, there was some belief that the Steelers wanted to acquire him as a free agent before the 2018 season. But the Jets outbid them to the tune of $22.5 million.
Williamson was on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday. And he said the interest was mutual.
“I was definitely hoping there would be opportunities with (the Steelers). But it just didn’t work out at that time. But it’s kind of changed full circle right now. I’ve just got to make sure I make my mark and show them the reason why they traded for me,” Williamson said.
TribLIVE Steelers beat writer Joe Rutter and I discuss the acquisition of Williamson in our weekly podcast. We also preview the game against Dallas, the Cowboys’ awful quarterback situation, potential changes to the playoff tree and the Steelers’ dicey injury report.
Listen: Tim Benz and Joe Rutter break down the Williamson trade, preview Cowboys game
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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