Report: Pittsburgh Steelers could sign Connor Williams later in offseason

The Pittsburgh Steelers — who are in the NFL’s AFC North — have surfaced as potential suitors for Connor Williams, who appeared in nine games with the Miami Dolphins during the 2023 regular season.

It was recently reported that Williams still could return to the Dolphins.

“It’s undetermined if Dolphins free agent center Williams will play this upcoming season because of a serious knee injury,” Barry Jackson wrote earlier in April.

“But when he does play again, the Dolphins have not been ruled out as a possibility, a league source said. The sides will remain in occasional communication.”

Before joining the Dolphins, Williams spent an extended period of time playing for the Dallas Cowboys, who drafted him with the No. 50 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Across his years with the Cowboys, the 26-year-old appeared in 57 regular-season games (51 starts).

Williams also participated in three playoff games during his time in Dallas.

The Steelers, who might be interested in adding Williams to their squad, were one of the better teams in the AFC during the 2023 regular season. Pittsburgh ended up with a 10-7 record — which was the third-best record in a very talented AFC North division behind the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns — and managed to sneak into the playoffs with a wild card spot.

But the Steelers’ stint in the playoffs came to an end without the team picking up a win, as Pittsburgh lost to the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 15 by a score of 31-17. Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh’s signal-caller in that game, totaled 229 passing yards and two passing touchdowns compared to one interception in the loss.

The Dolphins and Steelers had pretty similar 2023 seasons. Miami won one more game during the regular season, considering it finished with an 11-6 record.

But the Dolphins also lost their first playoff game, as the team gave up 26 points to Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 13.

It’s debatable whether Williams would have a better chance of making a deep playoff run next season with the Dolphins or Steelers. However, what’s clear is that losing Williams to the Steelers would be a blow for the Dolphins when taking into account the fact he started a significant chunk of Miami’s games in 2023.