Steelers Now
The Cincinnati Bengals have claimed wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams off waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to the NFL transactions page for Tuesday.
The Steelers waived Williams on Monday to make room for veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the 53-man roster. Williams had been a healthy scratch against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, following the additions of Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen to the lineup.
First joining the Steelers this spring as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana, Williams was called up after an injury to Calvin Austin III gave the team a need at punt returner.
Williams was active for eight games this year. He recorded no receptions, serving mostly as a punt and kick returner. He returned 11 punts for 112 yards (10.2 average), while he returned 18 kickoffs for 425 yards (23.6 average). He also fumbled twice.
The 5-foot-9, 188-pound receiver had a strong preseason, finishing third on the team with 86 receiving yards, taking full advantage of his four targets. He also returned punts, bringing back nine kicks for 70 yards.
Williams’ case for making an impact in a talent-needy wide receiver room may have been harmed by the similarity of his skillset to the team’s existing undersized receivers and kick returners: Austin, Scotty Miller and Roman Wilson. Despite his size, three-quarters of Williams’ preseason reps came at outside receiver, emphasizing the team’s need in that area.
Though small, Williams posted a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and an impressive 39-inch vertical during pre-draft testing for a 5.62 Relative Athletic Score.
A Philadelphia native, Williams spent just one season at Indiana, when he caught 39 passes for 448 yards and five touchdowns. His best receiving total came in 2022, one of his four years at Wake Forest, when he had 39 catches for 553 yards and one score.
Chris Ward contributed.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Bengals Claim Explosive Steelers Rookie on Waivers
